harrowing

adjective
UK: /ˈhær.əʊ.ɪŋ/
US: /ˈher.oʊ.ɪŋ/

  1. Extremely disturbing or distressing.

    1. The film contained a harrowing scene.
    2. Witnessing the accident was a harrowing experience I'll never forget it caused me great distress.

Synonyms

upsetting traumatic grievous heartbreaking agonizing
harrowing verb

  1. Present participle of harrow: to cause distress.

    1. The thought is still harrowing me.
    2. Memories of the war kept harrowing him long after he returned home from battle.

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "harrowing" is /ˈhær.əʊ.ɪŋ/ in British English and /ˈher.oʊ.ɪŋ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "harrowing": upsetting, traumatic, grievous, heartbreaking, agonizing.

Example usage of "harrowing": "The film contained a harrowing scene.". More examples on the page.