1
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
a harrowing portrayal of the ravages of war
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wrenching
intensely or unbearably painful
the harrowing amputations without any anesthetic that soldiers and sailors once were forced to endure
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in plaguing
to cause persistent suffering to
the villagers were gaunt and sickly, harrowed by years of disease and starvation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of harrowing
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Here, a routine school commute takes a harrowing turn when a cable car wire snaps, with eight passengers, including six schoolboys, left suspended 900 feet above the ravine.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 21 Jan. 2026
But the dramatic rescue effort, one that involved army helicopters, makeshift chairlifts and ziplines, might not have happened without some social media-savvy community members, who used cellphones and drones to capture the harrowing ordeal and spur the government into action.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 21 Jan. 2026
The documents, released first to ABC News by Grand Blanc Township Police, offer new details about the moments leading up to the shooting and reveal harrowing eyewitness accounts of the chaotic scene inside.
—Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for harrowing
Adjective
Osi Umenyiora, a former New York Giants star and two-time Super Bowl champion, revealed a harrowing health battle that left him in a coma for several days.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Here, a routine school commute takes a harrowing turn when a cable car wire snaps, with eight passengers, including six schoolboys, left suspended 900 feet above the ravine.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 21 Jan. 2026
But the dramatic rescue effort, one that involved army helicopters, makeshift chairlifts and ziplines, might not have happened without some social media-savvy community members, who used cellphones and drones to capture the harrowing ordeal and spur the government into action.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 21 Jan. 2026
The documents, released first to ABC News by Grand Blanc Township Police, offer new details about the moments leading up to the shooting and reveal harrowing eyewitness accounts of the chaotic scene inside.
—Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for harrowing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harrowing
Adjective
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Proper skin preparation is key to making your wax sessions less painful.—
Tatayana Yomary,
Essence,
7 Jan. 2026
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The high fevers, hospitalizations, and dehydration that these illnesses cause can be painful and disruptive—and, with vaccines, avoidable.—
Tom Bartlett,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The sentencing hearing included emotional and wrenching statements from Ferguson's family, who described a life permanently altered by the loss of their son and relative.—
Sergio Candido,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
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Warfare Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s Warfare is an admirable attempt to counter the truism that there’s no such thing as an anti-war movie — that all war movies, however gruesome or wrenching, effectively (and often unwittingly) wind up glamorizing combat to some degree.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
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To Camarda, the heat shield problem is one symptom of a widespread ailment plaguing NASA that took root in the shuttle era.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
23 Jan. 2026
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And scientists know that the bacterium that causes syphilis, Treponema pallidum, has been plaguing humans for centuries, if not millennia.—
Emma Gometz,
Scientific American,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Before Getting Started When cleaning your oven, try to avoid using harsh oven cleaners or using the self-cleaning feature.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
29 Jan. 2026
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The origin of clemency is understood through the Federalist Papers as a need for mercy in instances when the criminal justice system was too harsh.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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September 22 Lucas Museum opens After a long, semi-torturous process, George Lucas’s grand vision for a public museum containing an impressive collection of paintings, drawings, and film memorabilia will finally come to fruition.—
Hillary Busis,
Vanity Fair,
22 Dec. 2025
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During this increasingly torturous adjustment period, Millie learns Nina spent some time in a psychiatric facility years earlier after allegedly leaving Cece to drown in a bathtub and taking enough pills to kill herself.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Osula is out with a foot injury which has been afflicting him for most of the season.—
Chris Waugh,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
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Other geopolitical threats afflicting OPEC+ nations continue to simmer.—
Grant Smith,
Fortune,
4 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The Moon is at odds with three planets, which can trigger arguments, snide remarks and even cruel retorts.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
25 Jan. 2026
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An old 4chan meme designed as a cruel caricature has somehow become the face of clueless commentators asking for context.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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His family spent an agonizing week searching through morgues, hospitals and detention facilities before finally identifying his body among piles of corpses, also shown in the viral footage.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Her family would later make the agonizing decision to take her off life support.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Harrowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harrowing. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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