different between painful vs harrowing

English

Alternative forms

• painfull (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English paynful, peinful, peynful, paynefull, peynefull, equivalent to pain +? -ful. Compare Danish pinefuld (“painful”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?pe?n.f?l/

Adjective

painful (comparative painfuller or more painful, superlative painfullest or most painful)

1. Causing pain or distress, either physical or mental. [from 14th c.]
2. Afflicted or suffering with pain (of a body part or, formerly, of a person). [from 15th c.]
3. Requiring effort or labor; difficult, laborious. [from 15th c.]
4. (now rare) Painstaking; careful; industrious. [from 16th c.]
   • 1624, John Smith, Generall Historie, in Kupperman 1988, p. 142:

     The men bestow their times in fishing, hunting, warres, and such manlike exercises, scorning to be seene in any woman-like exercise, which is the cause that the women be very painefull, and the men often idle.

   • 1843, Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present, Book 2, Ch. 2

     For twenty generations, here was the earthly arena where painful living men worked out their life-wrestle

5. (informal) Very bad, poor.

   His violin playing is painful.

Synonyms

• (full of pain): doleful, sorrowful, smartful, irksome, annoying
• (requiring labor or toil): laborious, exerting

Antonyms

• (causing pain): painless, painfree

Derived terms

• painfully
• painfulness

Translations

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?hæ???i?/

Verb

harrowing

1. present participle of harrow

Adjective

harrowing (comparative more harrowing, superlative most harrowing)

1. Causing pain or distress.
   • 2006, Paul Chadwick, Concrete: Killer Smile, Dark Horse Books, cover text

     Harrowing journeys down the dark roads of anger, violence, and madness

Translations

Noun

harrowing (plural harrowings)

1. The process of breaking up earth with a harrow.

   The field received two harrowings.

2. Suffering, torment.
3. Christ's triumphal descent into Hell.

Translations