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
Then Clark put on a dribbling clinic, made nifty pass after nifty pass and became both a harassing presence on defense and the Fever's emotional leader during a 20-6 second-quarter run. — ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026 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
From harassing Brady over his divorce from Gisele Bündchen on social media to trying to be a rapper and much more, Brown’s post-football life has been one filled with public outbursts and controversial statements and stunts. — Scott Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026 The league is also partnering with a third-party service provider to help monitor and control harassing messages. — Jessica Golden,contessa Brewer, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026 There is no excuse for harassing or racially intimidating a family. — Karma Sabbah, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 In 2011, former President Barack Obama signed a law removing wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains from the endangered species list, a change that removed federal prohibitions on killing or harassing them in that region. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2026 Since Clarkson's online posts were shared, Rubin said Art of Play has been flooded with backlash, including harassing messages and negative reviews. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026 Kirschner said that his staff has been overwhelmed with homeless individuals causing property damage and harassing customers. — Melody Xu, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 The host played an alcoholic cop hosting a talk show, harassing his guests and violating their civil liberties along with his partner, Mikey Day. — Charu Sinha, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2026 Federal authorities on Thursday charged a Boston-area man with harassing Katie Miller, the conservative podcaster and wife of senior White House aide Stephen Miller, in a case that sparked a heated debate among prosecutors and within the FBI. — Jeremy Roebuck, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harassing
  1. frightening
  2. annoying
  3. killing
  4. persecutory
  5. pestiferous
  6. wearing
  7. chilling
  8. inquisitive
Adjective
  • As the frightening phantom of Frank the Bunny warns, this parallel reality has a ticking clock that’ll result in its imminent collapse in just 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • For neighbors, the crash brought a frightening interruption to an otherwise routine afternoon.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of frightening
Adjective
  • Imagine a congressional coalition formed by kicking out the lawmakers, on either side, who are annoying—the Ted Cruzes and the John Fettermans.
    — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Indeed, the survey showed that use of the horn is the most common action when drivers consider another driver to be annoying or angering them.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of annoying
Verb
  • Earlier this week, missiles fired by the Houthis struck a residential area in Taiz, killing two teenage girls and renewing attention on the dangers faced by civilians.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Russia's aerial attacks hit 12 regions of Ukraine overnight, killing at least four people and wounding scores of others, including five children, Zelenskyy said on social media Thursday.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 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
  • The deputies involved in the incident were not wearing body cameras.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Investigators say that surveillance video of the kidnapping shows a man wearing black gloves getting out of the same vehicle.
    — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of wearing
Adjective
  • The chilling effect, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, is a phenomenon in which individuals refrain from engaging in expression for fear of getting into trouble.
    — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Sectarian tensions and the disrupting force of the Cold War plunged the Middle Eastern nation into decades of armed conflict, with a chilling effect on daily life.
    — Shy Clara Thompson, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of chilling
Adjective
  • Fry will portray Marcy, an inquisitive and unrelenting BCA Special Agent determined to unravel the mystery of Lucas Davenport.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026
  • In the first, a best-selling mystery author dies, and Benoit Blanc, a charismatic and inquisitive private eye played by Daniel Craig, must investigate.
    — New York Times, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of inquisitive

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Cite this Entry

“Harassing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harassing. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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