sexual harassment

See more synonyms for sexual harassment on Thesaurus.com

noun

unwelcome sexual advances made by an employer or superior, especially when compliance is made a condition of continued employment or advancement.

Origin of sexual harassment

First recorded in 1975–80

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for sexual harassment

exploitation, victimization, intimidation, impropriety

Examples from the Web for sexual harassment

Contemporary Examples of sexual harassment

The wage structure of waiting tables is a sexual-harassment machine.
Why Your Waiter Hates You
Jedediah Purdy
October 26, 2014
Her firm won $18.4 million for James Stevens in his sexual-harassment case against Vons.
My Gloria Allred Nightmare
Tricia Romano
June 13, 2012
He fell victim to his own ignorance, disorganization, and inability to deal with sexual-harassment allegations.
Why Herman Cain Failed to Salvage His Presidential Campaign
Howard Kurtz
December 3, 2011
Sexual-harassment deniers are in overdrive amid the escalating complaints against the presidential hopeful.
Herman Cain and the Denial Campaign
Leslie Bennetts
November 9, 2011
Already, many conservatives have declared that all sexual-harassment cases are con jobs.
Don't Out Cain's Accusers
Michelle Goldberg
November 5, 2011

British Dictionary definitions for sexual harassment

sexual harassment

noun

the persistent unwelcome directing of sexual remarks and looks, and unnecessary physical contact at a person, usually a woman, esp in the workplace

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