hassling 1 of 2

adjective

as in mocking

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hassling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of hassle
1
as in taunting
to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults a small group of jeering protesters hassled the politically active singer at every appearance she made

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in bickering
to express different opinions about something often angrily constantly hassled with the chef over the need to cook pork thoroughly

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 hassling
Verb
Eventually, Bournemouth were so sick of Sadiki’s hassling that substitute Lewis Cook jutted an elbow at him. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hassling
  1. mocking
  2. taunting
  3. bickering
  4. heckling
  5. teasing
  6. arguing
  7. needling
  8. bothering
Adjective
  • To get a sense of his whole deal, look no further than the half-mocking, half-earnest title of his latest album, Country!
    — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025
Definition of mocking
Verb
  • And the Ithacan more than lives up to his reputation as the most obstinate hero in history, regularly taunting Poseidon (Miles Anderson) despite knowing the god will delay his return home.
    — Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 24 July 2026
  • This incident highlights a pattern of controversial behavior, from racist chants to taunting opponents, which has damaged their global image.
    — Shann Biglione, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of taunting
Verb
  • Establishment figures such as Jeffries and the party’s 2028 presidential candidates will need to grasp that the relationship between the DSA and the Democratic Party is not one of occasionally bickering siblings, but of parasite and host.
    — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026
  • Several weeks back, Clark and White were caught bickering during a timeout huddle against the expansion Portland Fire.
    — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 27 June 2026
Definition of bickering
Adjective
  • There was also an August 2024 incident at Fenway when Duran hurled a homophobic slur at a heckling fan.
    — Greg Dudek, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2026
  • Charles Barkley was once spitting mad at a heckling fan, and his expectoration wound up splashing on an 8-year-old girl.
    — Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 22 May 2026
Definition of heckling
Verb
  • Suddenly, the same kids who had been teasing me were instead begging for the next chapter.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
  • In the meantime, some teams, such as the Senators, are teasing creative ways of releasing their season schedule.
    — Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 15 July 2026
Definition of teasing
Verb
  • Since then, she’s fought for a bigger slice of his fortune, arguing in multiple court cases that her father contributed to the company’s growth with an early investment – and that her payout should be based on the 2026 valuation of Chey’s SK Group.
    — Stephanie Yang, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
  • Black leaders have pushed back, arguing that moving South Carolina aside after just one cycle would diminish the power of Black voters in the Democratic Party.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026
Definition of arguing
Adjective
  • Then, Metric’s peak came on 2009’s Fantasies, which paired needling electronics with thumping drum programming; both it and its follow-up, Synthetica, hit the top 10 on the Canadian albums chart and went platinum in Canada.
    — Ethan Beck, Pitchfork, 4 May 2026
  • For power users, this sort of thing can’t help but read as needling, even petty platform quirks.
    — Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
Definition of needling
Verb
  • Wasps are generally more interested in building their colony and finding food than in bothering people.
    — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 17 July 2026
  • But after going ahead, England manager Thomas Tuchel tried to shut the back door by throwing on countless defenders and not bothering to attack Argentina anymore.
    — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 15 July 2026
Definition of bothering

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Cite this Entry

“Hassling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hassling. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of hassling for Spanish Speakers

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