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
New footage shown at New York City Comic-Con picked up where the finale left off, giving us the kind of harrowing high-stakes pitched space battle against a ferocious enemy that has long been a hallmark of the franchise.
—ArsTechnica, 2 Apr. 2025
Warning, graphic content An American ICU nurse had a harrowing brush with death after her rental moped crashed during a vacation to Thailand, leaving her with a brain bleed, a broken collarbone and shattered teeth.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2025
The images bring to life a harrowing tale of abuse that has gripped the nation.
—Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2025
In a harrowing moment on the show, Knight is killed while Carter is severely injured — eventually leaving the resident with chronic pain, survivor's guilt and a growing addiction to narcotics.
—Stacy Lambe, People.com, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harrowing
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ArsTechnica, 2 Apr. 2025
Warning, graphic content An American ICU nurse had a harrowing brush with death after her rental moped crashed during a vacation to Thailand, leaving her with a brain bleed, a broken collarbone and shattered teeth.
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2025
The images bring to life a harrowing tale of abuse that has gripped the nation.
—Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2025
In a harrowing moment on the show, Knight is killed while Carter is severely injured — eventually leaving the resident with chronic pain, survivor's guilt and a growing addiction to narcotics.
—Stacy Lambe, People.com, 28 Mar. 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 12 Apr. 2025.
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