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
Synonyms
Examples of harrowing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
After a particularly harrowing setback to his mission in The Fallout, the new series from Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy (Westworld), a bounty hunter known as The Ghoul (Walton Goggins) makes the executive decision to change course entirely.
—Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
The harrowing crime — and the winding investigation, which led to a shocking suspect — is the focus of Netflix’s upcoming documentary What Jennifer Did, premiering Wednesday, April 10.
—Corin Cesaric, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
For some readers, the journey may be harrowing, as Orange is unstinting in his depictions of the injustices and violent acts perpetrated against Native Americans.
—Joan Gaylord, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Apr. 2024
Many harrowing accounts have emerged in the days since the attack.
—Michael Schwirtz, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
But for others the journey to safety has been much more harrowing.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2024
The show opens with a harrowing scene depicting Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution, which consumed China in bloodshed and chaos for a decade from 1966.
—Nectar Gan, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024
One harrowing scene in the pilot shows Kashigi Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano) struggle to climb down a precarious rock formation in order to rescue his Portuguese navigator.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2024
The four-part documentary features accounts from child stars during the network's sketch comedy era of the 1990s and early 2000s, including a harrowing tell-all from Drake Bell.
—The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2024
Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024
The harrowing crime — and the winding investigation, which led to a shocking suspect — is the focus of Netflix’s upcoming documentary What Jennifer Did, premiering Wednesday, April 10.
—Corin Cesaric, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
For some readers, the journey may be harrowing, as Orange is unstinting in his depictions of the injustices and violent acts perpetrated against Native Americans.
—Joan Gaylord, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Apr. 2024
Many harrowing accounts have emerged in the days since the attack.
—Michael Schwirtz, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024
But for others the journey to safety has been much more harrowing.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2024
The show opens with a harrowing scene depicting Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution, which consumed China in bloodshed and chaos for a decade from 1966.
—Nectar Gan, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024
One harrowing scene in the pilot shows Kashigi Yabushige (Tadanobu Asano) struggle to climb down a precarious rock formation in order to rescue his Portuguese navigator.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2024
The four-part documentary features accounts from child stars during the network's sketch comedy era of the 1990s and early 2000s, including a harrowing tell-all from Drake Bell.
—The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'harrowing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Harrowing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harrowing. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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