1
as in frightening
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2
as in annoying
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as in killing
to use up all the physical energy of
had been visibly harassed by the demands of the presidency
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Recent Examples of harassing
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
Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
And sure enough, that account had been harassing a six-year-old girl.
—Lyz Lenz, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2026
Sources said one of the men was off-duty NYPD Assistant Chief Benjamin Gurley, who suspected the other man of harassing his daughter.
—Tony Aiello, CBS News, 26 May 2026
The people whose few belongings were being arbitrarily picked up and thrown by a crane into the trash were not harassing staff.
—Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2026
In an official rebuke of a private citizen, the Riverside City Council accused one of its residents of harassing local employees through phone calls, emails and social media posts.
—Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
Prior to his loss, Jelincic was accused of harassing women who worked for CalPERS and encouraged to drop out of the race by several state officials.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 19 May 2026
In 2022, Rydman found himself at the center of a police probe when a 17-year-old girl reported that a politician had been harassing girls aged 14 to 17 for years, according to Sykes, citing a report in the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat (HS).
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 19 May 2026
He was charged with first-degree terroristic threatening and harassing communications.
—Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
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
In a press release last September, the DOJ announced that a 68-year-old Santa Monica man, Gregory John Curcio, was charged with doxing and harassing an ICE lawyer.
—Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
And sure enough, that account had been harassing a six-year-old girl.
—Lyz Lenz, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2026
Sources said one of the men was off-duty NYPD Assistant Chief Benjamin Gurley, who suspected the other man of harassing his daughter.
—Tony Aiello, CBS News, 26 May 2026
The people whose few belongings were being arbitrarily picked up and thrown by a crane into the trash were not harassing staff.
—Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2026
In an official rebuke of a private citizen, the Riverside City Council accused one of its residents of harassing local employees through phone calls, emails and social media posts.
—Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
Prior to his loss, Jelincic was accused of harassing women who worked for CalPERS and encouraged to drop out of the race by several state officials.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 19 May 2026
In 2022, Rydman found himself at the center of a police probe when a 17-year-old girl reported that a politician had been harassing girls aged 14 to 17 for years, according to Sykes, citing a report in the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat (HS).
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 19 May 2026
He was charged with first-degree terroristic threatening and harassing communications.
—Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harassing
Adjective
-
The Boroughs is not a frightening show, monster snack-time portrayals notwithstanding.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
31 May 2026
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The father of two and community activist said the encounters can range from embarrassing and annoying to downright frightening.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
30 May 2026
Adjective
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He-Man was now a jolly, quip-ready hero, whose best friends were scaredy-cat Cringer (a green-and-yellow tiger who transformed into Battle Cat), and an annoying, hovering magician called Orko.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
1 June 2026
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Why Microsoft passkeys may feel confusing at first Security upgrades can be annoying.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Most of the strikes occur in the summer, killing 20 people each year, according to the NWS.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 June 2026
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Basically, tick tubes are cardboard tubes that have been filled with cotton that’s been treated with permethrin, a tick-killing chemical.—
Molly Burford,
Southern Living,
2 June 2026
Adjective
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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
Adjective
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Structured as entries in Emily’s field journal, the novel lays out her aims, her curmudgeonly nature and her pestiferous relationship with one Wendell Bambleby — a charismatic fellow researcher and sometime rival who Emily suspects is a fairy himself.—
Amal El-Mohtar,
New York Times,
14 Apr. 2023
-
The whole event was lousy with pestiferous Bible-banging.—
Charles P. Pierce,
Esquire,
12 Dec. 2017
Verb
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On July 15th, 2020, the CDC Director recommended all Americans start wearing masks as a way to 'get the epidemic under control,' citing a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly (MMWR) study involving two hairstylists in Missouri.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
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Getting off the plane, Chamberlain was wearing shades on a gloomy day.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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In a chilling sequence, Dennis ties a garbage bag over Mallory’s head and drags her into the woods.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
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Bobb believes the dogmatic way lawmakers talk about civics has had a chilling effect.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Izabella, who also goes by Izzy, is a wonderful girl with an inquisitive, outgoing, and confident personality.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 May 2026
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In practice, this requires finance to be inquisitive beyond reporting numbers and invest in understanding the operation and the rigor required to change financial outcomes.—
Daniah Robertson,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Harassing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harassing. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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