harrowing
/ˈhæɹəʊ.ɪŋ/ adjective, noun
Also a form of harrow
Forms harrowings
- adjective (formal) Causing pain or distress; harrying.
- noun The process of breaking up earth with a harrow. “The field received two harrowings.”
- noun Suffering, torment.
- noun Ravaging; hostile incursion; spoliation; intentional widespread destruction.
- noun (Christianity) 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.
Synonyms
agonizing agonising excruciating torturing torturous torturesome
Etymology
By surface analysis, harrow + -ing.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “harrowing”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details