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
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Recent Examples of harrowing
Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 2 Jan. 2025
Sam Mendes directs a visceral recounting of a personal story told to him by his grandfather about his time in World War I, allowing the harrowing journey of a British soldier (George MacKay) to unfold in one unforgettable, unbroken shot.
1917
watch on netflix
Baby Driver.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2025
Rasoulof’s story is harrowing, and the movie works as an urgent political thriller, a blunt domestic drama and a document of state brutality.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2024
The show, with soulful life-affirming music and lyrics by the Avett Brothers tells the story of a crew of sailors on a longtime whaling expedition who are placed in the most harrowing circumstances.
—Jeryl Brunner, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for harrowing 
Adjective
Watch on Deadline Whitehead’s novel follows the friendship between two young Black teenagers navigating the harrowing trials of reform school together in Jim Crow Florida.
—Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 2 Jan. 2025
Sam Mendes directs a visceral recounting of a personal story told to him by his grandfather about his time in World War I, allowing the harrowing journey of a British soldier (George MacKay) to unfold in one unforgettable, unbroken shot.
1917
watch on netflix
Baby Driver.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2025
Rasoulof’s story is harrowing, and the movie works as an urgent political thriller, a blunt domestic drama and a document of state brutality.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2024
The show, with soulful life-affirming music and lyrics by the Avett Brothers tells the story of a crew of sailors on a longtime whaling expedition who are placed in the most harrowing circumstances.
—Jeryl Brunner, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for harrowing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harrowing
Adjective
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The camera stays close, capturing painful moments (Jaouad in the hospital), sweetness (exchanging wedding rings made of green twist ties), and most of all, Batiste's incredible passion.—
Debby Wolfinsohn,
EW.com,
11 Jan. 2025
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Despite the painful setback, Strowman powered through the match and emerged victorious, solidifying his reputation for resilience.—
Daniel R. Depetris,
Newsweek,
10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Soviet scientists at the time believed that strays, given that they were already accustomed to harsh conditions, would be better suited to the extreme environments of space.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes,
11 Jan. 2025
-
Florida threatens to lead the nation in state killings now because of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new law, the nation’s harshest, allowing as few as eight of 12 jurors to recommend execution instead of a unanimous verdict.—
Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards,
Orlando Sentinel,
11 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Editor’s picks ‘Brutal beatings’ Cooper and hundreds of Dozier students accused school wardens of torturous abuse over minor infractions, like whippings, beatings, forced labor, and medical neglect.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
15 Dec. 2024
-
Minuscule, meticulous, torturous, and incomprehensible to most mortals.—
Jean-Philippe Toussaint,
Harper's Magazine,
22 July 2024
Verb
-
An audacious plan In the mid-1980s, global health agencies were otherwise occupied and heads of state largely overlooked the illness afflicting millions of their citizens.—
Sam Mednick,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Dec. 2024
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The United States now suffers from twin pathologies—one afflicting the health of its citizens and the other the health of its political system.—
Thomas J. Bollyky,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Jan. 2020
Adjective
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And having more thoughtful conversations doesn’t preclude the need sometimes to confront those who are needlessly cruel or organizations that benefit from such exploitation.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
18 Jan. 2025
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In recent months, the Justice Department and the state filed thousands of pages of new records in the lawsuit, including reports and sworn statements from pediatricians, scholars and others who describe Florida’s policies as archaic and cruel.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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No one wants to leave as the agonizing identification process takes place.—
Beomsu Jo,
NBC News,
31 Dec. 2024
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Despite timely access to treatment often being critical to recovery, new patients in the U.S. face an agonizing 26-day wait to see a physician on average.—
Max Votek,
Forbes,
26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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This injury not only caused excruciating pain but also forced her into a desperate situation where humans, slower and less elusive than her natural prey, became her sole means of survival.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes,
16 Jan. 2025
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The harrowing reality is that Hamas may have once again learned a chilling lesson: that abducting Israelis is a devastatingly effective tactic to fracture Israeli society and extract excruciating concessions.—
Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell,
Newsweek,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The Chiefs tallied another three points from Butker as both defenses were noticeably intense and solid as the first quarter ended 6-3 Kansas City.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN,
19 Jan. 2025
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The single performs even better on the Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart, which is compiled in the same way as the Rock Digital Song Sales list, only the focus is exclusively on the more intense, harder style of the genre.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes,
19 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near harrowing
Cite this Entry
“Harrowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harrowing. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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