1
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
a harrowing portrayal of the ravages of war
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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
Randall Colburn, EW.com, 16 May 2025
As the clip continues, attendees recall the infamous countdown clock that preceded Scott’s performance, before discussing in harrowing detail the terrifying sensation of being caught in the crowd surge.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2025
Pam Bennett, 68, was snorkeling 50 meters offshore at Treasure Cove on the southern Yorke Peninsula when a stingray struck her, piercing her arm with a 6-inch barb in a harrowing attack, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.
—Escher Walcott, People.com, 7 May 2025
Through this harrowing period, Holiday applied the same methodical determination that characterized her playing career.
—Robert Daugherty, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for harrowing
Adjective
What follows is a harrowing rescue mission bringing together every member of 118.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 16 May 2025
As the clip continues, attendees recall the infamous countdown clock that preceded Scott’s performance, before discussing in harrowing detail the terrifying sensation of being caught in the crowd surge.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2025
Pam Bennett, 68, was snorkeling 50 meters offshore at Treasure Cove on the southern Yorke Peninsula when a stingray struck her, piercing her arm with a 6-inch barb in a harrowing attack, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.
—Escher Walcott, People.com, 7 May 2025
Through this harrowing period, Holiday applied the same methodical determination that characterized her playing career.
—Robert Daugherty, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for harrowing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harrowing
Adjective
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Their boyfriends, meanwhile, suffer the painful indignities of paper cutters, buzzsaws, and other sharp objects.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
23 May 2025
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Ornstein: United were budgeting for no European football next season, Joseph, and therefore last night would have been extremely painful but not a complete shock.—
David Ornstein,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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In fact, all forms of Persian rap — from street rap and gangsta to philosophical and social hip-hop — were used in the service of protest, with many works accompanied by heavy beats, dark atmospheres, and harsh narrative styles.—
Ali Farahmand,
IndieWire,
23 May 2025
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Padilla had harsh comments for the president and the GOP in a statement Thursday after the House vote.—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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In court proceedings in the years to follow, many of Gabriel’s family members, including his siblings Virginia and Ezequiel, testified about the torturous abuse the child experienced at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend.—
Yasmeen Hamadeh,
People.com,
24 May 2025
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Smith's lawyers filed a lawsuit along with eight other death row inmates challenge Tennessee’s new protocol, saying there is a high risk of torturous death.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
Verb
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That’s changing this year, as three Democratic governors announced new initiatives aimed at addressing disparities afflicting boys and men.—
Elizabeth Robinson,
NBC news,
25 Mar. 2025
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One key focus of these efforts should address the deficiencies afflicting the market for biologics, which are medicines made or derived from biological processes.—
Wayne Winegarden,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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But then perhaps that is her unsatisfying but depressingly undeniable point: there is no challenging minds this small, behaviors this cruel, spirits this mean.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
30 May 2025
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The reason Evin is infamous is because of its terribly cruel high security detention centers that are poorly supervised by the Prison Chief.—
Jeff Kaufman,
Time,
30 May 2025
Adjective
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Though Hunt Wynorski’s (Nick Zano) actual death happens off-screen, his pained panic at being trapped underwater by the suction pull of a public pool’s drain is an agonizing sequence, culminating in the gnarly visual of a blood-and-guts fountain.—
Gayle Sequeira,
Vulture,
16 May 2025
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Because Voyager is so incredibly distant, the team faced an agonizing 23-hour wait for the radio signal to travel all the way back to Earth.—
Victoria Corless,
Space.com,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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Former New York Daily News reporter Frank Isola covered the Knicks for the hometown newspaper and remembers the slow and excruciating decay at Madison Square Garden.—
Mark Morales,
CNN Money,
29 May 2025
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My cancer had invaded my bones, causing excruciating pain.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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But Tranter and Bartlett said Trump may settle roughly into this range of having an approval rating between 43 percent and 47 percent given the intense polarization of the country, as has been common in the past couple administrations.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
31 May 2025
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Residents of Maoming, China were treated to a celestial light show earlier this week when a surprise fireball burst to life overhead, illuminating the city before disappearing in an intense flare of light.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
31 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harrowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harrowing. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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