What does harassed mean?
Harassed means subjected to persistent unwanted attention, demands, pressure, or disturbance. The word is often stronger than merely bothered because it implies that the unwanted treatment is recurring, difficult to escape, or seriously intrusive. It occurs in both formal and everyday contexts, including descriptions of workplace behavior, personal relationships, media pressure, and unwanted sexual attention. “Harassed” can function as a participial adjective, as in “The tenant felt harassed,” or as the past tense and past participle of the verb “harass,” as in “They harassed the witnesses.” Its negative connotation is useful because it identifies not merely inconvenience but sustained pressure that can overwhelm a person’s time, attention, or sense of security. The word is also significant in discussions of workplace and sexual harassment, where it may carry established legal or institutional meanings in addition to its general dictionary sense.
Subjected to persistent unwanted attention, pressure, or disturbance.
"Residents complained that they had been harassed by repeated telephone calls."
Often used predicatively after a form of “be,” “feel,” or “become.”
To subject someone to persistent unwanted attention, pressure, or disturbance; the past tense and past participle of harass.
"The company repeatedly harassed former employees seeking unpaid wages."
In this use, the word is the inflected form of the transitive verb “harass.”
Harassed began with a sense of battering or troubling and developed into a word for the modern experience of being subjected to relentless unwanted demands.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does harassed come from?
The word entered English in the early 17th century from French harasser, meaning to batter, trouble, or molest. French harasser developed from Old French harer, “to beat or batter,” whose ultimate origin is uncertain. Modern English extended the word figuratively from physical attack and pressure to the persistent, unwelcome disturbance now associated with harassment.
Related word forms
How harassed is actually used
The word is commonly formal and strongly negative. It suggests pressure that persists, recurs, or feels difficult to escape, so it is generally stronger and more serious than simply being bothered. It is frequently used predicatively, as in “I feel harassed.” In legal and workplace contexts, it may carry the more specific implication of conduct that could reasonably be considered intimidating, hostile, or persistently unwelcome.