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

Charlotte’s water utility has fielded about 18 complaints a day of people violating mandatory water restrictions in place since mid-May, when the region was facing an extreme drought crisis.

— Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026
Just before kickoff, the Tide confirmed that Kirkpatrick was suspended for violating team rules.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of violating

Verb

Its construction required detonating explosives in the national monument, blasting apart an area called Monument Hill and outraging tribal leaders.

— Ryan Devereaux, ProPublica, 2 Nov. 2026
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

Definition of outraging

Verb

However, Fox’s family didn’t feel satisfied with the way that FedEx handled Fox’s complaints to HR about her colleagues harassing her and filed a lawsuit against the company.

— Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2026
As the divide between union members and Medieval Times loyalists deepened, anonymous troll accounts surfaced and began posting content harassing those on the picket line.

— Alessandra Schade, Vanity Fair, 28 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

An Osceola County deputy sheriff was arrested this week, accused of manhandling a 67-year-old woman and falsely charging her with battering him during an early-morning traffic stop, the Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday.

— Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of manhandling

Verb

The latest season, currently being aired, depicts a fictional Chinese intelligence agency capturing and torturing some of the Japanese spies.

— Reuters, NBC news, 29 Oct. 2026
For example, Salvatore Ramos, who in 2022 killed 19 kids and 2 teachers in Uvalde Texas, boasted on line about torturing animals, even going so far as to share videos of himself beheading animals.

— Diana Urban, Hartford Courant, 27 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

molesting

molests

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“Molesting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/molesting. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of molesting

verb

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