harrowing

[ har-oh-ing ]

adjective

1. extremely disturbing or distressing; grievous:

   a harrowing experience.

   Synonyms: heartbreaking, agonizing, painful

Other Words From

• harrow·ing·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of harrowing¹

First recorded in 1800–10; harrow ¹ + -ing ²

Example Sentences

The judge told the court that much of the detail of the offending was "too harrowing and vile to be repeated".

From BBC

“The process of leaving Iran was, in fact, quite harrowing, and it was very, very scary, especially the mountainous road that I had to take to leave and go to a neighboring country,” Rasoulof says.

From Los Angeles Times

The original single was written and released in 1984 in response to harrowing news images of famine in northern Ethiopia.

From Salon

The pair teamed up to make “Sugarcane,” a harrowing account that deftly weaves together multiple threads as a community struggles to uncover the truth and find justice and healing.

From Los Angeles Times

Besigye's allies and wife have come out to reveal harrowing details of how the opposition chief was apparently lured to meet his abductors, said to have disguised themselves as Kenyan security agents.

From BBC

Related Words

• agonizing
• chilling
• distressing
• disturbing
• excruciating
• heart-wrenching
• heartbreaking
• painful
• terrifying
• torturous
• traumatic