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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
The Lincoln-Way East High School board voted to allow six students accused of racially harassing students from Homewood-Flossmoor to withdraw. — Darius Johnson, CBS News, 18 Sep. 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harassing
  1. frightening
  2. annoying
  3. killing
  4. persecutory
  5. pestiferous
  6. wearing
  7. chilling
  8. inquisitive
Adjective
  • Then, several months later, her health took another frightening turn.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026
  • These job changes seem frightening because past tech revolutions have shut people out.
    — Pat Gelsinger, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of frightening
Adjective
  • Ready to go to South America and see some capybaras annoying tweens?
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
  • In May, Cloobeck was arrested and charged with three counts of attempting to dissuade a witness from testifying and one count of harassment for making annoying phone calls, according to a criminal complaint.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of annoying
Verb
  • The confrontation began Friday after a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a mosque, and gunmen stormed the facility, killing 21 people and wounding 103 others.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The capital city is known for its tight air traffic and was the site of the deadliest crash in the United States in years in January 2025, when two aircraft collided over the Potomac River, killing all 67 people on board.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 18 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
  • Rolison was a good sport and committed to the bit, despite wearing it for 12 hours in the hot weather.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • In the first photo, the SKIMS founder is seen wearing a pink tube top paired with a choker necklace and a frosty lip shade, all signature trends of the early aughts.
    — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of wearing
Adjective
  • Kuş is a firecracker of a performer, adding lively dimensions to the chilling atmosphere when things go bump in the night, and Connie begins hearing strange, unsettling sounds through her hearing aid.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The younger Lansky recalled a chilling incident from his childhood, when his grandfather's notoriety and perceived wealth nearly led to his kidnapping.
    — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of chilling
Adjective
  • And of course, in a general sense, many inquisitive artists are as bookish as anyone.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive Tucked inside Berkeley’s impressive fine arts museum resides the PFA, an inviting and always reliable gathering spot for inquisitive filmgoers.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of inquisitive

Browse Nearby Words

harasses
harassing
harassment
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Cite this Entry

“Harassing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harassing. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

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