Harrowing
adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·3 syllables ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The process of breaking up earth with a harrow.
"The field received two harrowings."
- 2 Suffering, torment.
- 3 Ravaging; hostile incursion; spoliation; intentional widespread destruction.
"Scientists who complain about the helplessness of politicians might consider the desolation in England which followed the harrowing of the north by William the Conqueror or the state of the Palatinate long after the end of the Thirty Years War[.]"
- 4 Ravaging; hostile incursion; spoliation; intentional widespread destruction.; Christ's ravaging or hostile incursion of Hell, conducted between his crucifixion and resurrection, in which he liberated the souls of the righteous held captive by Satan.
"As in other myths, like Christ's harrowing of hell, the initiate descends into the netherworld for the magical three days."
Verb
- 1 present participle and gerund of harrow. form-of, gerund, participle, present
Adjective
- 1 Causing pain or distress; harrying. formal
"Harrowing journeys down the dark roads of anger, violence, and madness"
Adjective
- 1 extremely painful wordnet
Example
More examples"The movie is a harrowing depiction of life in an urban slum."
Etymology
By surface analysis, harrow + -ing.
Related phrases
More for "harrowing"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.