harrowing
adjective
har·row·ing
ˈher-ə-wiŋ 
ˈha-rə-
: acutely distressing or painful
a harrowing experience
Mr. Wu's work in a coal mine was particularly harrowing.—
Charles Horner
Charles Horner
harrowingly
adverb
Examples of harrowing in a Sentence
a harrowing portrayal of the ravages of war
the harrowing amputations without any anesthetic that soldiers and sailors once were forced to endure
Recent Examples on the Web
And Sheen does find the words to tell more harrowing stories of addiction and excess that defined his Hollywood spiral.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
From vengeful resurrections to satanic rituals, shoplifters waging war on capitalism to secret cults, shadow selves to harrowing births, these genre-defying films crown the Dolls as auteurs, protagonists, dreamers, and disruptors.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
Based on Australian author Richard Flanagan’s 2014 Man Booker Prize-winning war novel, the five-part show follows the harrowing experiences of fictional World War II surgeon Dorrigo Evans.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
That was off the coast of Africa in 1884, where its survivors struggled to cling to life among harrowing circumstances.
—Adam Bell, Charlotte Observer, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harrowing
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Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
From vengeful resurrections to satanic rituals, shoplifters waging war on capitalism to secret cults, shadow selves to harrowing births, these genre-defying films crown the Dolls as auteurs, protagonists, dreamers, and disruptors.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2025
Based on Australian author Richard Flanagan’s 2014 Man Booker Prize-winning war novel, the five-part show follows the harrowing experiences of fictional World War II surgeon Dorrigo Evans.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
That was off the coast of Africa in 1884, where its survivors struggled to cling to life among harrowing circumstances.
—Adam Bell, Charlotte Observer, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harrowing
Cite this Entry
“Harrowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harrowing. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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