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
  • He was sacked shortly after Christmas that season.
    Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Commanders defensive lineman Jer’Zhan Newton came through the Chiefs’ offensive line to sack Mahomes.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • That will give defensive coordinator Zach Orr more options with his pressure packages and perhaps create less dependence on blitzes to harass the quarterback.
    Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2025
  • When people are crossing the river Evros, trying to reach Greece from Turkey, many of them are harassed by Greek or EU forces.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Along with goods for trade and plundered wealth, concepts of the soul have traveled the networks of empire.
    David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
  • The French started to plunder Spanish ships on their voyages to Spain, and the English quickly joined in—their attacks shaped, in part, by the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century, which spawned anti-Catholic and anti-Spanish sentiment.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • This came after Nick Saban jokingly scolded himself for not fielding Sayin during their weeks-long overlap in 2023’s postseason at Alabama.
    Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
  • This way of peering at screen culture from an inexact distance, which also comes up in a scolding scene where Ethan scrolls aimlessly through something like TikTok, rankles in a play that is otherwise so precise about physical time and space.
    Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Stolen Louvre loot worth $102 million may be melted down.
    Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Stolen Louvre loot worth $102 million may be melted down.
    Melina Khan, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In the book, Giuffre alleges that the pair trafficked her to many powerful men, including a prince and a former prime minister who savaged her.
    Robin Abcarian, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
  • My grandfather used to use a wooden walking stick and beat back the nettles—just savage them.
    Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Just under two million Palestinians—virtually the entire population of Gaza—have been displaced since October 2023, many repeatedly, and Israeli forces have damaged or destroyed more than 90 percent of homes in the Strip.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Teddy is a conspiracy theorist who believes Michelle is an alien hellbent on destroying Earth.
    Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Newsom is widely reviled here for cutting back on oil drilling and not prioritizing new reservoirs to store water for thirsty farms.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Stone and Lanthimos have since worked together several times, and their collaboration, a mutual-favoritism society, has been hailed and sometimes reviled for its darkly exuberant sense of risk.
    Justin Chang, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Harry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harry. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.

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