1
as in enemies
a person who teases, threatens, or hurts smaller, weaker, or more vulnerable persons
the school has a procedure for students who want to report problems with bullies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in thugs
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
the local loan shark and his bullies have ways of making people pay up
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in abuses
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
the kindergarten teacher explained why it was wrong to bully classmates
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intimidates
to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats
the manager was fired for bullying employees
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of bullies
Grace Dean,
Space.com,
1 July 2026
Multiple hospital stays became fodder for school bullies, who also ridiculed his size.
—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
30 June 2026
Ben Silverstone gives a moving performance as teenage Steven, who spends the film fighting bullies and breakups on the path to self-acceptance.
—
Rachel Simon,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
Even the would-be bullies benefit from McCarthy’s overarching refusal to flatten people into PSA talking points.
—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
19 June 2026
Even fans of rival programs in the state and conference were giving TCU their props for their dig at the big bad bullies of the Big 12.
—
Austin Perry Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
Star Jon Heder launched into movie stardom with his portrayal of the title character, a dead-eyed, socially awkward outcast teen struggling with bullies at school and his eccentric family.
—
Danny Horn,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 June 2026
Unfortunately, the Americans are on a nine-game losing streak against European bullies.
—
Filip Bondy,
New York Daily News,
10 June 2026
Youth who are bullies also are more likely to engage in aggressive and rule-breaking behavior, have substance use problems and hang out with other adolescents who share these tendencies.
—
Angela J. Narayan,
The Conversation,
9 June 2026
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
20 June 2026
The Pledge is meaningless if the president of the United States lies to us, divides us, bullies us and steals from us.
—
Letters To The Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
Collective action deters bullies Harvard never stood alone.
—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
1 Feb. 2026
There’s always a mean kid in your class who bullies everybody else.
—
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
The Bullies Versus The Bullied Studies show that men make up around 65% to 70% of workplace bullies overall, which researchers argue is in alignment with broader power disparities, as men continue to hold a majority of senior leadership roles.
—
Maia Niguel Hoskin,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Henry Bowers is the local punk who relentlessly bullies the Losers' Club and later falls under the spell of Pennywise.
—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Dec. 2025
Cipher bullies other characters across the season about their powers, but because of Andre and Polarity’s degenerative abilities, this underscores the eugenics behind his beliefs.
—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
Including some rather nasty, big corpo bullies who enlist specialist teams to hunt down clues, and other players, too.
—
Grace Dean,
Space.com,
1 July 2026
Multiple hospital stays became fodder for school bullies, who also ridiculed his size.
—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
30 June 2026
Ben Silverstone gives a moving performance as teenage Steven, who spends the film fighting bullies and breakups on the path to self-acceptance.
—
Rachel Simon,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
Even the would-be bullies benefit from McCarthy’s overarching refusal to flatten people into PSA talking points.
—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
19 June 2026
Even fans of rival programs in the state and conference were giving TCU their props for their dig at the big bad bullies of the Big 12.
—
Austin Perry Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
Star Jon Heder launched into movie stardom with his portrayal of the title character, a dead-eyed, socially awkward outcast teen struggling with bullies at school and his eccentric family.
—
Danny Horn,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 June 2026
Unfortunately, the Americans are on a nine-game losing streak against European bullies.
—
Filip Bondy,
New York Daily News,
10 June 2026
Youth who are bullies also are more likely to engage in aggressive and rule-breaking behavior, have substance use problems and hang out with other adolescents who share these tendencies.
—
Angela J. Narayan,
The Conversation,
9 June 2026
Verb
Williams called Valkyries fans bullies in an Instagram Live stream earlier this week, and by Friday night, Chase Center had the receipts.
—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
20 June 2026
The Pledge is meaningless if the president of the United States lies to us, divides us, bullies us and steals from us.
—
Letters To The Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
Collective action deters bullies Harvard never stood alone.
—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
1 Feb. 2026
There’s always a mean kid in your class who bullies everybody else.
—
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
The Bullies Versus The Bullied Studies show that men make up around 65% to 70% of workplace bullies overall, which researchers argue is in alignment with broader power disparities, as men continue to hold a majority of senior leadership roles.
—
Maia Niguel Hoskin,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Henry Bowers is the local punk who relentlessly bullies the Losers' Club and later falls under the spell of Pennywise.
—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Dec. 2025
Cipher bullies other characters across the season about their powers, but because of Andre and Polarity’s degenerative abilities, this underscores the eugenics behind his beliefs.
—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bullies
Noun
-
Later in the Hebrew Bible Lot is mentioned primarily in reference to his descendants, the Moabites and Ammonites, who are described as periodic enemies of the Israelites.
-
So why is cryptocurrency now getting a pass to work with American enemies?
Noun
-
The actions of these thugs, who should be imprisoned for a long while, is the cause of denying real Knicks fans the chance to watch the game communally.
-
People have committed suicide because a bunch of thugs went after them.
Verb
-
New York City’s child welfare agency routinely abuses its emergency power to take children from their parents without a court order, creating lifelong consequences for families, a new class-action lawsuit seeking to end the practice alleged Thursday.
-
People deserve a government that watches out for our people’s best interests, not one that abuses its powers and sells us to the highest bidder.
Verb
-
Any passenger who assaults, threatens, intimidates or interferes with airline crew members can lead to penalties of up to $43,658 per violation, according to the FAA.
-
The aura of the classical guitar intimidates me.
Noun
-
All the while, Sarah is being hunted by corporate intimidators Dawson (Sam Worthington) and Rosetti (Willa Fitzgerald), who want to ensure her silence.
Noun
-
What begins as a chance to escape the routine of his everyday life quickly spirals into a dangerous gathering of powerful criminals, old enemies, and unresolved loyalties.
-
That creates the perfect opening for criminals.
Verb
-
The thing that frightens me isn’t that machines will replace people.
-
What frightens scientists more than the sheer numbers are that the cuts are arbitrary and manifestly pernicious.
Noun
-
Still, the star did not name her harassers.
-
Most harassers do not harass others in front of someone else.
Cite this Entry
“Bullies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bullies. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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