MOLESTING Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

molesting

verb

present participle of molest

as in mistreating

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for molesting

Verb

Neighbors said the man began kicking and mistreating the dog before eventually luring the husky away from the yard with food.

— Hunter Sowards, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Ever since these rideshare companies began in the early 2010s, they have been scrutinized for underpaying and mistreating drivers.

— Cyrus Farivar, ArsTechnica, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of mistreating

Verb

In the letter, Omar's attorneys accused the Justice Department of violating longstanding agency policy designed to avoid potentially influencing an election.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
He was arrested again a week later after violating a protection order by trying to contact the woman, according to the arrest affidavit.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of violating

Verb

The Hitlerite hordes are murdering and outraging the peaceful inhabitants of our country, having no mercy on women, children or old people.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
On Day 1 of the truce, and in the days since, Israel has stepped up attacks against Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, in Lebanon, outraging Iran and leading to accusations the terms had been breached.

— Justin Fishel, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026

Definition of outraging

Verb

Kirschner said that his staff has been overwhelmed with homeless individuals causing property damage and harassing customers.

— Melody Xu, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
The host played an alcoholic cop hosting a talk show, harassing his guests and violating their civil liberties along with his partner, Mikey Day.

— Charu Sinha, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of harassing

Verb

In an earlier episode, Pam confronts Grace’s mother about abusing her daughter and ends up bashing in the woman’s head with a meat tenderizer — which sounds like a pivotal moment but plays more like a side quest.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
The former owner of several unlicensed North Texas boarding homes pleaded guilty Monday to financially abusing and fatally neglecting elderly and disabled people in her care, according to court filings.

— Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of abusing

Verb

Hours later, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, announced the suspension of Acosta’s press pass, and, for good measure, falsely accused him of manhandling the aide who wanted the mike back.

— Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2026
Ashley Delaney of Polk City, who has served on the district's board since 2024, was charged in May with misdemeanor assault for allegedly manhandling the student.

— William Morris, Des Moines Register, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of manhandling

Verb

Guevara has never been charged with a crime in connection with allegedly torturing supsects, and the statute of limitations has long since expired on any such charges, Felker said.

— Chris Tye, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2026
In 1996, Pike was found guilty of first-degree murder for beating, torturing and killing Slemmer, a fellow Jobs Corps worker, in a remote area of the University of Tennessee Agricultural campus.

— Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of torturing

Verb

In 2022, two corrections officers at the Laurens County Detention Center in South Carolina were arrested and charged with brutalizing an inmate and using a GLOVE device to repeatedly stun them, CNN noted.

— Frank Landymore, Futurism, 12 Aug. 2026
Each competitor was giving it their all with brutalizing chops, tough suplexes and going above and beyond to try to win that championship.

— Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 15 July 2026

Definition of brutalizing

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.

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molesters

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molests

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“Molesting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/molesting. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of molesting

verb

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