dunning

verb

present participle of dun
as in annoying

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dunning
  1. annoying
  2. hassling
  3. tormenting
  4. worrying
  5. exasperating
  6. aggravating
  7. irritating
  8. rasping
Verb
  • Kids in all three countries loved learning dances from TikTok and annoying their siblings.
    — Ryan Lenora Brown, Christian Science Monitor, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Of course, this would depend on whether the managers choose to pick their strongest teams in what for some is a meaningless, even annoying extra fixture, for squads who just want to go home.
    — Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 18 July 2026
Definition of annoying
Verb
  • Eventually, Bournemouth were so sick of Sadiki’s hassling that substitute Lewis Cook jutted an elbow at him.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2025
Definition of hassling
Verb
  • Superwedding now past, Taylor Swift’s husband, TE Travis Kelce, can get back to tormenting NFL defenses for a few more seasons.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Aside from tormenting the sole out transgender member of Congress by waging a campaign to bar her from using the women’s bathroom in the Capitol, Mace had been a side player that year.
    — Annie Karni, Vogue, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of tormenting
Verb
  • That’s almost eight months of talking, worrying and dreaming about the Bears.
    — Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The news, which prompted Treasury yields to fall, came after days of headlines worrying about a global sell-off in government bonds.
    — Matt Peterson,Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of worrying
Verb
  • These loud parties can devolve into violence, exasperating community leaders and the police.
    — Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 11 May 2026
  • Certain statutes explicitly appeal to what’s reasonable—exasperating those who find the standard hopelessly indeterminate.
    — Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Definition of exasperating
Verb
  • Stowers, who has 18 home runs, missed the first 21 games of the season with a right hamstring strain, then missed nearly two weeks in August after re-aggravating that injury.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Sacramento Superior Court jurors also found true allegations of aggravating factors and a sentencing enhancement for multiple victims, prosecutors said.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of aggravating
Verb
  • The entire internet is filled with irritating tasks like this.
    — Kelly Evans, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Oh, and don’t worry about sparkles irritating your gaze—the formula is ophthalmologist-tested.
    — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of irritating
Verb
  • Yet Karter is utterly at ease behind the mic, rasping through a wistful melody with an unlit cigarette between her fingers, a black motorcycle jacket slipping off one shoulder.
    — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 6 July 2026
  • Thiaw paced, head bowed, arms crossed, as his Senegal players celebrated Gueye’s second rasping shot of the afternoon.
    — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 26 June 2026
Definition of rasping
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Dunning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dunning. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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