harassment
Americannoun
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an act or instance of harassing; torment, vexation, or intimidation.
daily harassment by bullies at school;
the harassments of daily life.
-
the condition or fact of being harassed.
the stress of harassment and discrimination.
Pronunciation
See harass.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of harassment
Explanation
If someone is abusing, insulting, or otherwise harming you on a regular basis, it's called harassment. Cruel and usually really annoying, harassment is also illegal in some cases. Harassment is a word that describes any kind of ongoing torment. At school, harassment is often known as bullying. In the workplace, employees need to be careful about sexual harassment. Harassment involves persistent attacks or abuse, and can range from shouting racial slurs to crank calling your ex-boyfriend every night at 3am. Even teasing your kid sister about her braces could be considered harassment.
Vocabulary lists containing harassment
Word Generation Weekly - Series 3
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Articles on Bullying
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Lincoln's Last Days
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On the heels of a few very public cases involving the practice, Congress passed H.R.4445—the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021—with bipartisan support.
From Slate • Oct. 7, 2024
Harassment of journalists — especially foreign reporters — is common in China but almost never acknowledged by the state.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 13, 2024
Palestinian students and supporters have also faced harassment, threats and doxxing, she said, and urged students to report any incident to the Office for Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 1, 2023
Ms. Carlson has written a book on combating workplace abuse: “Be Fierce: Stop Harassment and Take Your Power Back.”
From Washington Times • Sep. 19, 2023
Harassment, longing, sore desire, check and bitterness—unhappiness there as here!
From The Long Roll by Johnston, Mary
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
