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
  • Gunther once again took his attention away from Aldis by taunting Aldis’ wife—WWE Hall of Famer Mickie James—and his son Donovan.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The ancient namesake ammunition detailed by researchers at Spain’s Autonomous University of Barcelona is only the latest example of Roman soldiers’ penchant for taunting their enemies from afar.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 30 July 2026
Definition of taunting
Verb
  • Back at the base, the team is still bickering with the other troopers.
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 2 Aug. 2026
  • After bickering with Percy over her involvement in the mission, Thalia ultimately drives away from the scene.
    — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 23 July 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
  • Cardi shared on Instagram after teasing the song earlier this week.
    — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2026
  • In the comments section of Beer’s Instagram post teasing the video, her parents, Robert and Tracie Beer, voiced their support for the couple.
    — Nasha Smith, PEOPLE, 28 July 2026
Definition of teasing
Verb
  • This opinion sparked debate in the online nutrition community, with some dietitians and nutritionists arguing that bananas should not be villainized based on a small body of research.
    — Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Prasad defended his decision by arguing that the company didn’t compare its mRNA vaccine’s efficacy to the correct existing vaccine.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 6 Aug. 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
  • Hip still bothering Springs Springs lasted just four innings after issuing a season-high five walks, throwing 86 pitches — only 51% of them strikes — and gave up his 28th home run of the season, the most of any pitcher in the league.
    — Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Sharks already frequent Southern California beaches, usually without bothering anyone.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 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 9 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on hassling

Nglish: Translation of hassling for Spanish Speakers

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