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
Ricky Sayer, CBS News, 6 June 2026
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
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
Police accused Andrea Bucci of harassing a 16-year-old youth ice hockey referee over a call during a game in July 2025.
—Ricky Sayer, CBS News, 6 June 2026
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
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
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The frightening encounter began several years ago when her daughter texted her from school complaining of pain just above her belly button.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
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Vampires, deadly disasters, and creeps are among those who help these frightening flicks scare the hell out of audiences.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 June 2026
Adjective
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Some of the dead-on precision of Nilles’ attack was lost by out-of-sync video screens, an annoying glitch that needs attention given her monster performance.—
Joshua Rothkopf,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
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But still, today’s astro-weather pulls your attention toward friends, collaborators and future plans, and one annoying money issue (or self-worth issue) could completely throw off your mood.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
5 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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The actor David Merten, from the recent, Michael Urie-starring, gay version of Richard II, manages to both show off his arms and keep cool by wearing a pleated vest with no shirt underneath.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
7 June 2026
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Seven European captains threatened to defy an order against wearing them, until, hours before England’s opening kickoff, FIFA announced that each would receive a yellow card.—
Chris Jones,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
Adjective
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Add crushed ice about halfway up and give a brief stir or swizzle, five to eight seconds, to begin the chilling process.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
6 June 2026
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The attack comes as the NYPD investigates a troubling string of chilling assaults against older New Yorkers.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
5 June 2026
Adjective
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At 6 years old, little Ronny Howard got cast in The Andy Griffith Show as Opie, Sheriff Taylor’s inquisitive son.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 June 2026
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Filmed in Haiti‘s northern Cap-Haïtien region, the movie follows Ruben, a young man (Stevenson Jean) who embarks on a journey to reconnect with his estranged father, accompanied by an inquisitive street kid (Blangue Machiny).—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Harassing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harassing. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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