harassing 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in frightening

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2
as in annoying

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harassing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of harass
as in killing
to use up all the physical energy of had been visibly harassed by the demands of the presidency

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of harassing
Adjective
The first complaint, in which a clerk made similar accusations of abusive and harassing conduct, was filed with the circuit court in 2022, not long after Merriam’s appointment. — Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2026 The line is crossed when someone’s conduct at work becomes disrespectful, harassing, intimidating, discriminatory, or disruptive to the team. — Johnny C. Taylor Jr, USA Today, 30 Dec. 2025
Verb
Boys are bullying girls in school, customers are harassing Target employees, and there’s now a report that a male doctor asked a woman to undress while wearing the glasses, which can discreetly take photos and videos. — O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 21 Aug. 2026 Luis Jacobo had been stalking and harassing the victim, calling her hundreds of times a day, appearing uninvited at her home and workplace and leaving unwanted notes and flowers, according to prosecutors. — City News Service, Daily News, 19 Aug. 2026 Powerless even against the most run-of-the-mill villains, the men casually harassing her at the diner. — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026 The settlers, emboldened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government, have ramped up attacks on Palestinian towns and villages, harassing residents and setting homes, mosques and fields ablaze. — Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026 Tyler Muehl, 18, who lives in the San Diego seaside neighborhood of La Jolla, entered his plea in a federal courtroom to a misdemeanor violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act’s prohibition on harassing wildlife, the Justice Department said. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2026 Muehl pleaded guilty to knowingly and unlawfully taking a marine mammal by harassing and hunting it. — Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026 Lang has visited Dearborn before and was seen walking around the streets and going to city council meetings, shouting Islamophobic rhetoric and harassing residents. — Heath Kalb, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026 The Houthis declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia last month and have been routinely harassing shipping since. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 11 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harassing
  1. frightening
  2. annoying
  3. killing
  4. persecutory
  5. pestiferous
  6. wearing
  7. chilling
  8. inquisitive
Adjective
  • The thoughts that accompany these conditions can be alarming and frightening, making many women reluctant to talk about them or seek help.
    — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 28 Aug. 2026
  • There are frightening stories of swordfish charging boats, and even spearing their transoms and whacking propellers.
    — Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of frightening
Adjective
  • Adults’s Gen-Z characters tend to see their comforts as transient, their identities as mutable, and seriousness as an annoying obligation, all of which the second season pokes at a bit.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Fluctuating estrogen levels can disrupt the nerves responsible for your sense of scent, leading to this symptom that’s equally bizarre and annoying.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of annoying
Verb
  • The case has become a national cultural fixation and a social media spectacle, gripping and dividing spectators well beyond the Massachusetts courtroom where the 36-year-old mother is charged with killing her three young children.
    — Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026
  • On the last day of February, the US and Israel launched a war on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and attacking targets across the country.
    — Mick Krever, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of killing
Adjective
  • For example, Americans living during World War II developed persecutory delusions involving Germans, while those living during the Cold War focused on communists.
    — Alaina Vandervoort Burns, The Conversation, 17 Dec. 2025
Definition of persecutory
Adjective
  • After the Thirty Years’ War (1618-48), the Dutch were probably eager for reminders of ordinary domestic life, even pestiferous ones, and for images of quiet and tenderness.
    — Willard Spiegelman, WSJ, 18 Aug. 2017
  • Disease relies on a variety of pestiferous vectors for the transmission of infective bacteria.
    — Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 31 May 2016
Definition of pestiferous
Verb
  • Wear it with leggings for a travel outfit that feels a little more elevated than wearing a sweatsuit.
    — Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Shoes left at the door, donning slippers to be worn except on tatami mats, wearing yukatas to the onsen and to dinner that night.
    — Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of wearing
Adjective
  • Jaafar Jackson’s transformation into the King of Pop will be the main talking point, and two-time Oscar nominee Colman Domingo’s chilling turn as family patriarch Joe Jackson lends the film gravity.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The OpenAI version released today does not contain any code snippets, or even the chilling examples of messages the agents left for each other in the months leading up to the attack that its staffers shared at Black Hat.
    — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of chilling
Adjective
  • Bindi, a young female wallaby, is inquisitive and extremely curious, while Wally, a young male wallaby, is more cautious and likes to look at things from afar, Borozenets said.
    — Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Paige is energetic, determined, and inquisitive where Kevin is defeatist, sad, and zhlubby.
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of inquisitive

Browse Nearby Words

harasses
harassing
harassment
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Cite this Entry

“Harassing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harassing. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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