HARROWING Synonyms: 152 Similar and Opposite Words

harrowing 1 of 2

adjective

ˈher-ə-wiŋ

Definition of harrowing

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

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

harrowing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of harrow

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

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 harrowing

Adjective

Mercedes spoke about the harrowing ordeal on Tuesday afternoon. — Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026 Life became more harrowing in other ways for immigrants who were victims of domestic violence. — Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 14 Oct. 2026 Reporting from Gulf Breeze, Florida Jayme Mitich and her 13-year-old daughter, Jeweliana Jackson, survived a harrowing night as strong winds from Hurricane Isaias partially ripped the roof off their second-story apartment. — Erika Angulo, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2026 Their second meeting takes a harrowing turn when Audrey suffers a miscarriage on Eli’s doorstep. — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for harrowing

Recent Examples of Synonyms for harrowing

Adjective

His path crosses with Naoko, a Japanese tourist carrying the weight of a painful past, and Ruby, a young child searching for his parents.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Rising financial strains on American workers are forcing them to make painful trade-offs, such as skipping medical care, to make ends meet, new research shows.

— Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of painful

Adjective

Richard Ables guided families through one of life’s most wrenching rituals at the historic Hall Brothers Funeral Home.

— Paul Schwartzman, Washington Post, 4 Oct. 2026
After a quiet episode focused on Hal Jordan’s passing, Lanterns’s penultimate chapter deepens the mystery in surprising and wrenching ways.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of wrenching

Verb

Footage of the protest has since gone viral across social media, igniting widespread awareness for one of the trans athlete incidents currently plaguing Washington state.

— Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
That's when many of issues plaguing the stock started to turn around.

— Zev Fima, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of plaguing

Adjective

And now those still left in the battered city along Ukraine's southeastern front face death from hunger or disease as another harsh winter looms, with no agreement in sight for even a humanitarian evacuation.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
Despite low winds and little rain, harsh surf continues to wreak havoc along Southern California's coastal communities.

— Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC news, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of harsh

Adjective

The forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy on Alberto Sierra’s estranged wife and her two young daughters detailed on Friday their torturous final moments, testifying during Sierra’s death penalty trial.

— Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
In a wartorn country where air travel is too perilous to even consider, the roads are the obvious option, but are jammed, precarious, and cursed with long, torturous border queues.

— Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of torturous

Verb

Singh and Jaggseer, like Beyoncé and Lil Nas X before them, highlight an identity crisis afflicting modern country music.

— Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
The work continues and the Frates family has maintained the passion that Pete instilled in them in fighting the disease that is still afflicting far too many people.

— Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of afflicting

Adjective

In response to legislation to end the cruelty once and for all, the Daily News once again trotted out its old and tired defense of this cruel, deadly and outdated industry.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
Policing cringe is the cruelest métier of the internet—the origin of harassment campaigns and platforming of contempt.

— Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

Many of those wins have been agonizing for the Bears to endure like when TCU upset a top-10 Baylor squad in 2021 or when the Horned Frogs scored a walk-off field goal the very next season in Waco to keep their undefeated season alive.

— Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026
In her book, Dawood writes about an investigator telling her not to go down the agonizing road of hindsight.

— Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of agonizing

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

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Synonyms of harrowing

adjective

verb

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