HARASSMENT

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does harassment mean? 

• HARASSMENT (noun)
  The noun HARASSMENT has 2 senses:

1. a feeling of intense annoyance caused by being tormented

2. the act of tormenting by continued persistent attacks and criticism

  Familiarity information: HARASSMENT used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HARASSMENT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A feeling of intense annoyance caused by being tormented

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Synonyms:

harassment; torment

Context example:

so great was his harassment that he wanted to destroy his tormentors

Hypernyms ("harassment" is a kind of...):

annoyance; chafe; vexation (anger produced by some annoying irritation)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of tormenting by continued persistent attacks and criticism

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

harassment; molestation

Hypernyms ("harassment" is a kind of...):

mistreatment (the practice of treating (someone or something) badly)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "harassment"):

baiting (harassment especially of a tethered animal)

badgering; bedevilment; torment; worrying (the act of harassing someone)

sexual harassment (unwelcome sexual behavior by a supervisor toward an employee)

ribbing; tantalization; tease; teasing (the act of harassing someone playfully or maliciously (especially by ridicule); provoking someone with persistent annoyances)

witch-hunt (searching out and harassing dissenters)

Derivation:

harass (annoy continually or chronically)