1
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
a harrowing portrayal of the ravages of war
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
25 June 2026
How does this relate to the ensuing flashbacks of a wounded Castle hiding with a mother and her daughter and his pulse-pounding jumps from one harrowing hot frying pan situation to another?
—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
24 June 2026
Tesla, by most accounts, emerged victorious from those harrowing days.
—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
24 June 2026
Spanish filmmaker Carla Simón has poured her own often harrowing, often close-to-sublime experiences of fragmented family life into all her films so far.
—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
24 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for harrowing
Adjective
Then there’s the harrowing economics of AI, infinitely less tangible but impossible to ignore.
—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
25 June 2026
How does this relate to the ensuing flashbacks of a wounded Castle hiding with a mother and her daughter and his pulse-pounding jumps from one harrowing hot frying pan situation to another?
—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
24 June 2026
Tesla, by most accounts, emerged victorious from those harrowing days.
—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
24 June 2026
Spanish filmmaker Carla Simón has poured her own often harrowing, often close-to-sublime experiences of fragmented family life into all her films so far.
—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
24 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for harrowing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harrowing
Adjective
-
And that says something painful about what my country has become, and my place in it.
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For thousands of Venezuelans, however, the absence of definitive answers has become one of the tragedy’s most painful consequences.
Adjective
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His most wrenching scene, when Stagg receives a devastating personal call but cannot react amid the intense geopolitical stakes, captured this tension.
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Another wrenching question, of course, is whether at least the younger Perez siblings would want or need to go with Olga to Guatemala if she were deported.
Verb
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This comes at a time when existential fiscal anxiety has been plaguing Americans.
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The other factor that Mercedes needs to consider is that reliability issue that’s plaguing itself and its customer teams.
Adjective
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White settlers and frontier pioneers built vast, fenceless cattle stations, battling harsh environments and disease, embracing a hard-living culture that exists to this day.
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Dish Soap Using harsh chemicals on the outside of your toilet bowl and fixtures is not recommended, according to Meagher.
Adjective
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As part of her job, Angèle needs to daub makeup on the models’ feet, blistered from the torturous heels they’re forced to wear.
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The film tells the story of Greek hero Odysseus’ long, torturous and fantastical trip home from the Trojan War, back to the Kingdom of Ithaca to save his wife and son.
Verb
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Cholera, a waterborne bacterial disease, has unleashed a perilous wave across southern Africa, with active outbreaks currently afflicting five countries in southern and central Africa.
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Never mind the economic turbulence afflicting the country and the world, driven most recently by rising gas prices because of the war in Iran.
Adjective
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Swift moved on from one Brit to the next, quietly dating actor Joe Alwyn from 2017 to 2023, while the world spent back-to-back cruel summers without Taymerica.
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This is particularly gratifying given the absurd and cruel trolling the young actress received from the toxic corners of internet fandom leading up to the film’s release.
Adjective
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Claus trudged to the monitor, watched the foul on an agonizing loop and promptly handed Balogun a red card.
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In the final minute of stoppage time Cape Verde missed an agonizing last second shot but still claimed a point!
Cite this Entry
“Harrowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harrowing. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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