molest

[ muh-lest ]

/ məˈlɛst /

verb (used with object)

to bother, interfere with, or annoy.

to make indecent sexual advances to.

to assault sexually.

Nearby words

molecularity, molecule, molehill, moleskin, moleskins, molest, molet, molilalia, molimen, molina, moline

Origin of molest

1325–75; Middle English molesten < Latin molestāre to irk, derivative of molestus irksome; compare mōlēs mass, burden, trouble

SYNONYMS FOR molest

1 harass, harry, trouble, plague, hector, torment. See attack.

Related forms

mo·les·ta·tion

[moh-le-stey-shuhn, mol-e-] /ˌmoʊ lɛˈsteɪ ʃən, ˌmɒl ɛ-/, nounmo·lest·er, nounmo·lest·ful, adjectiveun·mo·lest·ed, adjective

un·mo·lest·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for molester

Often Lamb comes off not as Chester the Molester, but instead as a recognizable and mostly sympathetic character.
Great Weekend Reads|Malcolm Jones, Lucy Scholes, Jacob Silverman, Drew Toal|September 18, 2011|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for molester

molest

/ (məˈlɛst) /

verb (tr)

to disturb or annoy by malevolent interference

to accost or attack, esp with the intention of assaulting sexually

Derived Forms

molestation (ˌməʊlɛˈsteɪʃən), nounmolester, noun

Word Origin for molest

C14: from Latin molestāre to annoy, from molestus troublesome, from mōlēs mass

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012