MOLEST Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

molest

verb

Definition of molest

as in to mistreat

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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 molest An Oroville man and accused cult leader was sentenced to 225 years in prison Tuesday for molesting four young girls and raping two women from the group, authorities said. — Seamus Bozeman, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026 According to the National Park Service, a pet running at large and molesting wildlife may be put down if necessary for public safety or wildlife protection. — Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 8 June 2026 From that one girl’s story, police learned that Epstein had been molesting dozens of girls from a West Palm Beach high school. — Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 4 June 2026 The flurry of headlines about what was left out of the film—most obviously, the 1993 lawsuit that accused Jackson of molesting a 13-year-old, and subsequent lawsuits alleging similar abuse—also haven’t mattered. — Jemele Hill, The Atlantic, 16 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for molest

Recent Examples of Synonyms for molest

Verb

Even more consequentially, some jihadi groups turned Muslim publics against them by mistreating Muslim civilians.

— Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026
The other has been dismissed or mistreated in a clinic before, and reads the same sentence as confirmation that they were not told the whole story the first time.

— Aleeza Gerstein, The Conversation, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of mistreat

Verb

Hundreds of those grants were later reinstated when a federal judge ruled that the slap-dash nature of the terminations violated the Administrative Procedures Act, which regulates how agencies are supposed to change policies.

— Anil Oza, STAT, 17 Sep. 2026
Officials frequently approved reimbursement after travel had already happened, and failed to require consultants to provide documentation like receipts, violating contract rules around wasteful spending.

— Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of violate

Verb

After getting physically manhandled far too often last year, Colorado was the more physical team against a Yellow Jackets program that prides itself on toughness.

— Seth Emerson, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
The Los Angeles Police Department released a video that shows officers at the Valley jail manhandle an uncooperative inmate who died after he was left handcuffed with a bag over his head while laying prone on the bunk in his cell.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of manhandle

Verb

The pilots of an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 were blamed for crashing into a seawall in 2013, sending their jet cartwheeling down a runway in San Francisco, killing three people and injuring 187 others.

— Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
The jet, traveling from San Juan, Puerto Rico, overshot the runway, killing five people and injuring another five.

— Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of injure

Verb

Yes, Stark has painted, or, more accurately, anodized, powder-coated, and otherwise bullied into submission just about everything to black.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2026
Newcastle were not only beaten, but they were also bullied and battered into submission — physically overpowered and outplayed in every facet.

— Chris Waugh, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of bully

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moles

molest

molestation

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“Molest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/molest. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of molest

verb

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