harassing 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in frightening

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2
as in annoying

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harassing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of harass
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

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.
Recent Examples of harassing
Adjective
Then Clark put on a dribbling clinic, made nifty pass after nifty pass and became both a harassing presence on defense and the Fever's emotional leader during a 20-6 second-quarter run. — ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026 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
Kirschner said that his staff has been overwhelmed with homeless individuals causing property damage and harassing customers. — Melody Xu, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 The host played an alcoholic cop hosting a talk show, harassing his guests and violating their civil liberties along with his partner, Mikey Day. — Charu Sinha, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2026 The billionaire tax fight grew more contentious last month after the lead proponent of the measure, SEIU UHW President Dave Regan, was accused of harassing female colleagues and threatening other union leaders to urge them to back the measure. — ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026 People in Carnegie are speaking out after multiple reports of a group of young people allegedly harassing businesses and people in the area. — Meghan Schiller, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2026 Federal authorities on Thursday charged a Boston-area man with harassing Katie Miller, the conservative podcaster and wife of senior White House aide Stephen Miller, in a case that sparked a heated debate among prosecutors and within the FBI. — Jeremy Roebuck, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026 Koumas did not stop running until he was substituted after 82 minutes, harrying and harassing the experienced centre-back duo of Marco Senesi and Tosin Adarabioyo while also providing an outlet. — Andy Jones, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 With navies built around corvette-class-sized ships, Finland and Sweden have successfully stood up to Russian pressure, harassing Russian submarines that have violated their territorial seas. — Holmes Liao, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2026 Myers also shouldn’t be blamed for other YouTubers’ displaying photos of the victim or harassing the victim because Myers doesn’t control them, Resnick said. — Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harassing
  1. frightening
  2. annoying
  3. killing
  4. persecutory
  5. pestiferous
  6. wearing
  7. chilling
  8. inquisitive
Adjective
  • Doyle has played all kinds of frightening characters in his five years at Markoff's.
    — Ayesha Rascoe, NPR, 11 Oct. 2026
  • The trailer for the movie, which includes a particularly frightening jump scare from Chastain as Other Mommy, went viral online after playing in front of theatrical screenings.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of frightening
Adjective
  • In Atrahasis, noisy humans become annoying to the gods, so the gods drown them.
    — Eric Vanden Eykel, The Conversation, 6 Oct. 2026
  • There's a lot to love about this Lego Icons Project Hail Mary set, including the lack of annoying stickers.
    — Chris McMullen, Space.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of annoying
Verb
  • In a small Idaho town, a young mother is accused of killing her young twins.
    — Glenn Thrush Eric Schmitt Liam Stack Tim Balk, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Lack of preparation Eight weeks after the UAE withdrawal, the US and Israel launched a war on Iran, killing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
    — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of killing
Adjective
  • 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
Definition of persecutory
Adjective
  • After the Thirty Years’ War (1618-48), the Dutch were probably eager for reminders of ordinary domestic life, even pestiferous ones, and for images of quiet and tenderness.
    — Willard Spiegelman, WSJ, 18 Aug. 2017
  • Disease relies on a variety of pestiferous vectors for the transmission of infective bacteria.
    — Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 31 May 2016
Definition of pestiferous
Verb
  • Around me were fellow guests wearing Fendi headscarves and puffy Prada vests — none yet of the business travellers checking in with expense accounts.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Dozens of protesters, many of them young, dressed in black and wearing masks, threw rocks and firecrackers at police at the central Brussels railway station, before setting several fires, one to a pile of city bikes and electric scooters.
    — Mark Carlson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of wearing
Adjective
  • But just as memorable as Drew Barrymore’s gut-wrenching opening scene was Marco Beltrami’s chilling score, one that heightened the suspense and terror at every turn.
    — Scott Shilstone, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
  • An Iowa man accused of opening fire on passing vehicles along an interstate and wounding a woman allegedly made a chilling admission to police after his arrest, according to court documents.
    — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of chilling
Adjective
  • Even behind the anchor desk, Rather’s inquisitive manner and reporter’s instincts for confrontation were well known.
    — Walter Podrazik, The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2026
  • And of course, in a general sense, many inquisitive artists are as bookish as anyone.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of inquisitive

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Cite this Entry

“Harassing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harassing. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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