harried
Americanadjective
-
harassed, agitated, or troubled by or as if by repeated attacks; beleaguered.
This book is a balm for the harried, doubt-filled soul of a parent.
-
ravaged or devastated, as in war.
Since leaving France, the Fourth Battalion had depended for its food on what it could glean from a harried countryside.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of harried
Explanation
Someone who is harried is feeling the stress of being rushed, overworked, or harassed. A harried parent might be exhausted but still have to make 3 dozen cupcakes for school and help with a science project. Harried comes from the verb harry, which itself is from the Middle English word herigan, meaning to pillage, plunder, or make war. Today, harried doesn't imply an act of war, but rather someone who is frazzled or a situation that might cause that feeling. If the project you're working on has been harried from start to finish, you'll be lucky to keep your sanity.
Vocabulary lists containing harried
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
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Speak
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "H"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Initially, Joe and Angela don’t look so different from the pictures of couples we’ve seen before: harried and married, dead when they wed.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
Igor Jesus hit his own bar, Richarlison pressed and harried and Mathys Tel produced one of his better displays.
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2026
When they were first married, Heather was a harried corporate lawyer working long hours.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 10, 2026
Even when a particular engagement is a disaster, the action ultimately resolves with a moral clarity almost entirely absent from the messiness of my harried world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
A wireless set mumbles the names of ministers in a harried, staccato voice—de Gaulle in London, Petain replacing Reynaud.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
