harrow

verb

Definition of harrownext
as in to plague
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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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of harrow Before the big race, the track was harrowed, bringing it to a better and drier racing surface. — John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2025 The research fellow who met me, Birte, was in her forties, and appeared as if she had been harrowed by her work. — John Ganz, Harper's Magazine, 22 May 2024 Plus, Shin Ha-young is given little to do in the second half of the series despite her effortless shift from warm third wheel to harrowed and weary abuse victim. — Geoffrey Bunting, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2023 That same humble deity, in the course of putting on humanity, had obtained a glimpse of the conditions on earth—poverty, needless estrangement, a stubborn pattern of rich ruling over poor—and decided to incite a revolution that would harrow Hell. — Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 28 Dec. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harrow
  1. plague
  2. afflict
  3. persecute
  4. torture
  5. torment
Verb
  • Speculation and conspiracy theories have plagued Kirk’s death, fueled even by public figures such as Candace Owens, a longtime friend of Kirk, who has been outspoken about her belief that his death was orchestrated in an elaborate plot.
    — Mackenzie Chase, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Hoover’s replacement has thus far been a miss, and the problem that plagued this program in losses in each of the last two years has not changed.
    — Mac Engel October 14, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of plague
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
  • Engineers have also taken steps to ensure that a CFT-like thruster anomaly doesn't afflict future Starliner flights.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of afflict
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 persecute
Verb
  • Hundreds of thousands of women were tried, tortured, and executed for witchcraft in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
  • According to Bilal and his brother Judy, neither Ahmed nor anyone else in his family had ever been arrested or tortured by the regime.
    — Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of torture
Verb
  • Though his father’s death torments him, Calvin is an affable, hardworking widower.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The other was a decent man constantly being tormented by God in order to test his faith.
    — Chuck Lorre, Vanity Fair, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of torment

Browse Nearby Words

harries
harrow
harrowed
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Cite this Entry

“Harrow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harrow. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on harrow

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about harrow

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