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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Example Sentences
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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
Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026
Gosling gets into the concept in a new promo, searching out a coveted First-Timers Club smoking jacket and then roaming the halls outside Studio 8H wreaking havoc, harassing the cast and generally playing the big shot.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 4 Mar. 2026
Crins, who resigned from her job last fall, is accused of harassing a former student who graduated last spring and filed a complaint with the Rhode Island State Police in the fall, according to WPRI.
—Providence Journal, The Providence Journal, 2 Mar. 2026
The defendants did not know who Huitzilin was, or have any intention of identifying his home address or harassing him.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2026
The Iran Human Rights Center, based in Oslo, has documented multiple accounts from inside hospitals of security agents preventing medical care, removing patients from ventilators, harassing doctors and detaining protesters.
—Sarah El Deeb, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
State law also prohibits harming or harassing such wildlife, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 25 Feb. 2026
Ocasio 31 years ago in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, has certainly questioned the administration’s practice of harassing and breaking promises to Latinos, especially those from unstable nations who have sought asylum here.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Feb. 2026
The Seattle defense, which nicknamed itself the Dark Side, lived in quarterback Drake Maye’s face, sacking him six times and harassing him into three turnovers.
—Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 9 Feb. 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
But, just like Elmer Fudd, there was one beast that constantly eluded the mighty hermit hunter and actually took great pleasure in harassing him.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026
Gosling gets into the concept in a new promo, searching out a coveted First-Timers Club smoking jacket and then roaming the halls outside Studio 8H wreaking havoc, harassing the cast and generally playing the big shot.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 4 Mar. 2026
Crins, who resigned from her job last fall, is accused of harassing a former student who graduated last spring and filed a complaint with the Rhode Island State Police in the fall, according to WPRI.
—Providence Journal, The Providence Journal, 2 Mar. 2026
The defendants did not know who Huitzilin was, or have any intention of identifying his home address or harassing him.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2026
The Iran Human Rights Center, based in Oslo, has documented multiple accounts from inside hospitals of security agents preventing medical care, removing patients from ventilators, harassing doctors and detaining protesters.
—Sarah El Deeb, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
State law also prohibits harming or harassing such wildlife, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 25 Feb. 2026
Ocasio 31 years ago in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, has certainly questioned the administration’s practice of harassing and breaking promises to Latinos, especially those from unstable nations who have sought asylum here.
—Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Feb. 2026
The Seattle defense, which nicknamed itself the Dark Side, lived in quarterback Drake Maye’s face, sacking him six times and harassing him into three turnovers.
—Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harassing
Adjective
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And for Slusser, born and raised as a Christian in Texas, just a year and a half living in Northern California had taken a frightening toll.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Mar. 2026
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Protests that kind of were merging toward violence or at least frightening to our diplomats.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Highs come across with sharpness that doesn't stray toward annoying, and the mids are surprisingly full.—
Eric Zeman,
PC Magazine,
9 Mar. 2026
-
There’s still housing, meals, books and annoying fees.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Three glide bombs struck the center of the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, killing four people, the head of the Donetsk regional military administration, Vadym Filashkin, said Tuesday.—
HANNA ARHIROVA THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
11 Mar. 2026
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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,
11 Mar. 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
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The whole event was lousy with pestiferous Bible-banging.—
Charles P. Pierce,
Esquire,
12 Dec. 2017
Verb
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Jeffrey’s wife, known as Shambles, operates the puppets from behind the curtain, while wearing their 5-year-old daughter, known as Crumbo, in a sling.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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Communications student Loane Concy Clementia recently stood outside the Rabanne show at Paris Fashion Week, wearing a black bra, a white lace and satin skirt and a white fur bomber off the shoulder.—
Madeleine Schulz,
Vogue,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Once the flowers and foliage fade, the bulbs should be dug up from the garden, allowed to dry, and stored until the fall to begin the chilling process again.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
6 Mar. 2026
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In addition, staff writer Eric Sondheimer placed in the top 10 for short features for his report highlighting the chilling impact ICE raids had on high school football workouts.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Thrud is precocious, inquisitive, curious, and fearless, with a natural yearning for knowledge.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Legend has it that when Buddha was painting the sky, blue pigment dripped onto the floor and his inquisitive chow chow licked the puddle, coloring the dog’s tongue permanently.—
Andrew Norman Wilson,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Harassing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harassing. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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