harrowed

verb

past tense of harrow
as in plagued
to cause persistent suffering to the villagers were gaunt and sickly, harrowed by years of disease and starvation

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for harrowed
  1. plagued
  2. afflicted
  3. persecuted
  4. tortured
  5. tormented
Verb
  • But he was plagued by guilt over his ancestor’s role in the trials, and felt compelled to explore themes of human character, greed, and social decay through his work.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Joan realizes that her mother’s vanishing meshes with a larger tapestry of tragedy that has plagued their family over the years.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of plagued
Verb
  • Love contains the seeds of its own destruction—the cruelty and self-absorption that turns the afflicted against one another, and themselves.
    — Merve Emre, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026
  • While the epicenter was located in Nantou County in central Taiwan, serious damage afflicted residents across the island as roads buckled, bridges collapsed and landslides destroyed everything in their path.
    — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of afflicted
Verb
  • Those governments provide assurances that people won’t be persecuted or tortured, federal attorneys said.
    — Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Also, some immigration cases involve people seeking asylum because they are being persecuted by a foreign government and releasing a person’s full name could be considered sensitive or even dangerous.
    — Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of persecuted
Verb
  • His underlings kidnapped and tortured a dealer who refused to pay, the indictment said.
    — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The organization advocating on his behalf said Gilman had been tortured in Russian detention.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of tortured
Verb
  • The other was a decent man constantly being tormented by God in order to test his faith.
    — Chuck Lorre, Vanity Fair, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The Eagles, of course, have tormented the league with that play.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of tormented
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

harrow
harrowed
harrowing
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Cite this Entry

“Harrowed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harrowed. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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