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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
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
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 He was inspired by the true story of Freda and Greta Chaplin, who in the 1980s stirred up a media frenzy for harassing a truck driver, and for bizarrely mirroring each other. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 3 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 However, after their separation, John-Paul began allegedly harassing and stalking Mica, her friends and family claimed in the docuseries. — Kelly Allen, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026 And the American Indian Movement originated in Minneapolis in 1968, establishing community patrols to monitor police who were harassing Native American groups. — Emily Witt, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 Investigators have learned Zahir had a child with the woman he is accused of harassing, Shively Police Chief Andre Bottoms said. — Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 31 Aug. 2026 Boys are bullying girls in school, customers are harassing Target employees, and there’s now a report that a male doctor asked a woman to undress while wearing the glasses, which can discreetly take photos and videos. — O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 21 Aug. 2026 Luis Jacobo had been stalking and harassing the victim, calling her hundreds of times a day, appearing uninvited at her home and workplace and leaving unwanted notes and flowers, according to prosecutors. — City News Service, Daily News, 19 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harassing
  1. frightening
  2. annoying
  3. killing
  4. persecutory
  5. pestiferous
  6. wearing
  7. chilling
  8. inquisitive
Adjective
  • Poty remembers his most frightening confrontation, from a couple of years ago.
    — Marina Dias, Washington Post, 2 Sep. 2026
  • As its frightening trailers have shown, Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung and Hoyeon play villagers facing off with a mysterious and violent creature.
    — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of frightening
Adjective
  • Yes, some of those fans are incredibly annoying—and some of those people aren’t even fans.
    — Corey Seymour, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Would Berman, then 49 years old, care about the project, or would the superstar personality treat it as an annoying burden thrust on him by his employer’s media arrangement?
    — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of annoying
Verb
  • Investigators determined that Hollander had likely targeted the home with the intention of killing Esther.
    — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The jury could not reach a verdict in the murder trial of the Massachusetts mother who admitted to killing her three children.
    — Violet Jira, Washington Post, 5 Sep. 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
  • Pisces February 19 – March 20 A busy day could reveal where your routine has been quietly wearing you down.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 7 Sep. 2026
  • After shooting Lino in the foot, the stranger reveals himself as Father Joe (Kiefer Sutherland), an actual priest who takes on Manhattan’s drug dealers wearing his work clothes.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of wearing
Adjective
  • The rattle of a bride’s gold earring or the rasp of straightener steam through a bride’s hair takes on a panic-inducingly eerie quality thanks to Marie-Clotilde Chery’s chilling sound design.
    — Miriam Balanescu, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2026
  • They shouldn’t be stored below 45 degrees because chilling can cause internal damage and eventually contribute to breakdown and rot, explains Gregorie.
    — Lynn Andriani, Martha Stewart, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of chilling
Adjective
  • As played by Christoph Waltz, Hans Landa is a delightfully inquisitive portrait of Nazi horror.
    — Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Bindi, a young female wallaby, is inquisitive and extremely curious, while Wally, a young male wallaby, is more cautious and likes to look at things from afar, Borozenets said.
    — Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of inquisitive

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harassing
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Cite this Entry

“Harassing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harassing. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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