harried

American  

[har-eed] / ˈhær id /

adjective

1. 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.

2. 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.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of harry.

Other Word Forms

• unharried adjective

Etymology

Origin of harried

harry ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Though the ring knows when I’ve been walking, it confuses my harried morning routine for housework.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 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

That puts her in rarefied territory for a family doctor—most of whom are so harried they barely know their patients individually.

From Barron's • Nov. 12, 2025

Forty minutes go by before anyone acknowledges my presence with more than a harried nod.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich