harrowing
Painfully difficult emotionally
Harrowing describes experiences that are intensely distressing or traumatic—events that wound the psyche: a harrowing account of survival, the harrowing final days of the war.
The word suggests something that tears at you, leaving you shaken.
A harrow is a farm implement with metal teeth that breaks up soil; harrowing experiences break up your composure the same way.
Causing severe emotional damage
- distressingCausing anguish or worry
- anguishingCausing severe mental distress
- devastatingCausing severe damage
- heartbreakingCausing intense emotional anguish
gut-wrenching · wrenching · painful · tormenting · scarring · searing · haunting · crushing
Extremely tiring and demanding
- exhaustingDepleting one's stamina
- arduousDemanding strenuous effort
- punishingExtremely taxing or severe
- brutalSavagely harsh or severe
relentless · torturous · agonizing · draining · demanding · testing · trying · difficult
Causing unease or discomfort
- chillingCausing fear or cold
- horrifyingCausing extreme fear
- nightmarishFrightening like bad dreams
- terrifyingEvoking extreme fear
alarming · shocking · gruesome · macabre · grim · hauntingly · bone-chilling · bloodcurdling
traumatic
Causing severe emotional damage
- distressingCausing anguish or worry
- anguishingCausing severe mental distress
- devastatingCausing severe damage
heartbreaking · gut-wrenching · wrenching · painful · tormenting · scarring · searing · haunting · crushing · overwhelming
grueling
Extremely tiring and demanding
- exhaustingDepleting one's stamina
- arduousDemanding strenuous effort
- punishingExtremely taxing or severe
brutal · relentless · torturous · agonizing · draining · demanding · testing · trying · difficult · severe
unsettling
Causing unease or discomfort
- chillingCausing fear or cold
- horrifyingCausing extreme fear
- nightmarishFrightening like bad dreams
terrifying · alarming · shocking · gruesome · macabre · grim · hauntingly · bone-chilling · bloodcurdling · spine-tingling
plowing
Turning earth for crops
- tillingCultivating soil for crops
- cultivatingDeliberately developing or tending
- breakingComing apart suddenly
turning · aerating · preparing · seedbed · furrow · disc · cultivator · soil · field · clod
account
Record of dealings
- taleSpoken or written narrative
- testimonySworn statement as evidence
- memoirWritten personal recollection
documentary · footage · survivor · witness · firsthand · recounting · chronicle · portrayal · depiction · story
- scary feelingsterrified, frightening, dreadful, creepiness, goosebumps
- draft workplowing, hauling, carting, towing, drayage
- dramatic intensitytension, suspense, conflict, climax, stakes
- garden prepdigging, tilling, soil testing, soil amendment, fertilizing
- planting preptillage, plowing, cultivation, fertilizing, furrows
- Harrowing of Helldescent into hell, Holy Saturday, hellmouth, gates of hell, victory over death
harrowingsoothing
Reducing distress or discomfort
calming · comforting · peaceful · tranquil · serene
harrowingbearable
Able to be endured
endurable · tolerable · manageable · survivable · sustainable
harrowingheartwarming
Evoking tender positive feelings
uplifting · heartening · encouraging · gratifying · delightful
- harrowing escapeDistressing, barely-successful flee