Harrowing

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Harrow \Har"row\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Harrowed}
     (h[a^]r"r[-o]d); p. pr. & vb. n. {Harrowing}.] [OE. harowen,
     harwen; cf. Dan. harve. See {Harrow}, n.]
     1. To draw a harrow over, as for the purpose of breaking
        clods and leveling the surface, or for covering seed; as,
        to harrow land.


        [1913 Webster]
  
              Will he harrow the valleys after thee? --Job xxxix.
                                                    10.
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     2. To break or tear, as with a harrow; to wound; to lacerate;
        to torment or distress; to vex.
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              My aged muscles harrowed up with whips. --Rowe.
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              I could a tale unfold, whose lightest word
              Would harrow up thy soul.             --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  harrowing
       adj : extremely painful [syn: {agonizing}, {agonising}, {excruciating},
              {torturing}, {torturous}, {torturesome}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  58 Moby Thesaurus words for "harrowing":
     acute, afflictive, agonizing, alarming, atrocious, biting,
     chilling, consuming, cramping, cruel, daunting, desolating,
     disconcerting, dismaying, disquieting, distressing, disturbing,
     excruciating, frightening, gnawing, grave, griping, hard, harsh,
     heartbreaking, heartrending, heartsickening, heartwounding,
     horrible, horrifying, hurtful, hurting, nerve-racking, painful,
     paroxysmal, piercing, poignant, pungent, racking, rending, severe,
     sharp, shooting, spasmatic, spasmic, spasmodic, stabbing, stinging,
     tearing, terrifying, tormenting, torturing, torturous, traumatic,
     upsetting, vexing, worrisome, worrying