as in browbeating
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as in coercion
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in abusing
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 intimidating
to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats
the manager was fired for bullying employees
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of bullying
Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 22 Nov. 2025
Snoop Dogg has partnered with GLAAD to support Spirit Day, the LGBTQ+ youth anti-bullying initiative.
—Michaela Zee, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025
Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
Trump’s bullying of Iran will not have a simple resolution.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2026
Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Waging war against Iran is bullying on steroids.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bullying
Adjective
The experience led the Dunns to file a report in accordance with anti-bullying provisions in New York's Dignity For All Students Act.
—Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 22 Nov. 2025
Snoop Dogg has partnered with GLAAD to support Spirit Day, the LGBTQ+ youth anti-bullying initiative.
—Michaela Zee, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
Watch the new 'Harry Potter' show's trailer The two-minute teaser of the HBO show's first season promises more time with Harry in the Muggle world, showing his bullying at school in Surrey.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
Trump’s bullying of Iran will not have a simple resolution.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2026
Verb
Reports from those calls reveal a spectrum of youth behaviors, from hallway bullying to acting out because of problems at home.
—Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Waging war against Iran is bullying on steroids.
—Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bullying
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bullying
Noun
-
Unlike other crimes that use hacking or social engineering scams to access victims’ funds remotely, wrench attacks rely on more brutish methods of coercion like kidnapping and torture.—
Megan Cassidy,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The most violent and thuggish regime on earth would be free to carry out their campaigns of terror, coercion, conquest, and mass murder from behind a nuclear shield.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Investigators said, following the report, the child's mother checked surveillance video from inside the home and saw the night nurse, Cindy Dresser, physically abusing the child.—
Stephanie Ballesteros,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Judge Joel Bennathan sentenced Matvei Rumiantsev, a 23-year-old Russian national, to two years in prison after being found guilty of assault for abusing his on-and-off girlfriend.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Lemon entered a not guilty plea in February, per The New York Times, after facing charges of conspiracy against religious freedom at a place of worship and injuring, intimidating and interfering with the exercise of the right of religious freedom at a place of worship.—
Brenton Blanchet,
PEOPLE,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Elected officials say an Orland Park resident recently charged with threatening and intimidating them was behind campaigns of robocalls and other communications that targeted them and their families.—
Olivia Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
What frustrated her most was that the issue refused to stay resolved.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
30 Dec. 2025
-
This breakthrough achievement, called super-resolved fluorescence microscopy, exploited the properties of evanescent waves and made single-molecule microscopy possible.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
13 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Any group of employees that forms an internal clique with secret membership, intimidation, special treatment, or retaliation is incompatible with public service and will be eliminated from this department.—
Opinion Staff,
Daily News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Tycie Denise Parham, 48, and Gerald Keith Towns, 62, are both charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, witness intimidation and conspiracy to commit witness intimidation.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Clumsiness notwithstanding, bringing a criminal case against a journalist who was reporting on a protest is an authoritarian tactic—a means of frightening the press away from uncovering the truth.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
-
But monks there complained that the slain king was walking around at night, frightening them with strange sounds.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Housed in a bulletproof case, the delicate bones reveal the saint’s ascetic life while strict security protects relics from historical theft.—
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Later in life Foucault will become more ascetic, but not yet.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Lago explained in a March 10 meeting that the fee would make required maintenance cheaper and easier for business owners, while letting the city manage sidewalk pressure-cleaning and repairs, landscaping and streetscape upkeep to clean and beautify the city.—
Michelle Marchante,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Geopolitical shifts compound these pressures.—
Smooth Nzewi,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bullying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bullying. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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