harry

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb harry contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of harry are annoy, harass, pester, plague, tease, and worry. While all these words mean "to disturb or irritate by persistent acts," harry may imply heavy oppression or maltreatment.

the strikers had been harried by thugs

When can annoy be used instead of harry?

The words annoy and harry are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, annoy implies disturbing one's composure or peace of mind by intrusion, interference, or petty attacks.

you're doing that just to annoy me

Where would harass be a reasonable alternative to harry?

While the synonyms harass and harry are close in meaning, harass implies petty persecutions or burdensome demands that exhaust one's nervous or mental power.

harassed on all sides by creditors

When might pester be a better fit than harry?

The words pester and harry can be used in similar contexts, but pester stresses the repetition of petty attacks.

constantly pestered with trivial complaints

When would plague be a good substitute for harry?

The synonyms plague and harry are sometimes interchangeable, but plague implies a painful and persistent affliction.

plagued all her life by poverty

When is it sensible to use tease instead of harry?

While in some cases nearly identical to harry, tease suggests an attempt to break down one's resistance or rouse to wrath.

children teased the dog

In what contexts can worry take the place of harry?

The meanings of worry and harry largely overlap; however, worry implies an incessant goading or attacking that drives one to desperation.

pursued a policy of worrying the enemy

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 harry For newbies: Orphaned after the death of their parents, 6-year-old Lilo (Maia Kealoha), ostracized at school, is being raised by her devoted but harried teenage sister Nani (Sydney Agudong), nearing the age of adult guardianship. Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 21 May 2025 These broken objects, and others like them, feed into my general sense of being harried, overburdened, and middle-aged. Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 6 May 2025 Bullets, bombs and electronic warfare harry both man and machine. Colin Demarest, Axios, 5 Mar. 2025 Here’s how the individual snaps were divided: Quarterback: Brock Purdy 59, Joshua Dobbs 5 One of the pregame storylines was how harried Purdy might be behind a makeshift offensive line. Matt Barrows, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for harry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harry
Verb
  • Notre Dame fell 27-24 to Miami in the season opener, when Carr was sacked three times.
    Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Being sacked by Chelsea and then West Ham in less than three years is slightly different to winning league and European trophies and being a statue-level hero at three different clubs, or taking England to two major finals and making the national team likeable again.
    Nick Miller, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Bava begins the proceedings with a tale of a telephone creep harassing a woman and closes with ghostly revenge.
    Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2025
  • At full strength, the Seahawks can harass passers at a high level.
    Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • While plundering a dungeon lair and stealing artifacts from a museum both have heist elements to them, Skullduggery looks into the other intrigues of adventures in urban environments.
    Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The towns of Harrisonville, Butler and Osceola were plundered during Bleeding Kansas.
    Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Miss Sammie flashed the scolding look Jean had known since childhood, though playfully now.
    David Wright Faladé, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Chun also scolded attorneys for Amazon in July for withholding thousands of documents from the FTC and abusing a legal privilege to shield them from scrutiny.
    Annie Palmer, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In recent years, objects looted from Benin City by British soldiers in 1897 — commonly known as Benin Bronzes — have been returned to Nigeria, Asante artifacts have been returned to Ghana, and France has sent colonial-era skulls back to Madagascar.
    Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 3 Oct. 2025
  • The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said the casualties include protesters and bystanders killed by members of the security forces, but also others killed in subsequent widespread violence and looting by individuals and gangs not associated with the protesters.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Reviewers of the play savaged both the director and the writer but sang Burnett’s praises.
    Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which savaged New Orleans and much of the Gulf region, led to a push to better understand how and why these storms occur, and what agencies could do to better prepare.
    Alana Wise, NPR, 28 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Two months after historic floods swept through the Milwaukee area, new data shows that nearly 2,200 homes throughout Milwaukee County sustained major damage or were destroyed.
    Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Police in Florida are searching for two men caught on camera destroying a mall store while stealing thousands of dollars in merchandise.
    Pilar Arias, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Resorting to an omnibus is now common, even though it is reviled by many rank-and-file lawmakers who resent being deprived of the ability to resist individual spending provisions without derailing the sole vehicle for averting a shutdown.
    Lazaro Gamio, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Strapped for resources and now actively reviled and threatened by their government, theaters and producers are pouncing on opportunities to lay out a little less money or to spend on one big name in the hopes of clawing their way out of the red.
    Sara Holdren, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Harry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harry. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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