What does harassing mean?
Harassing means repeatedly troubling, pressuring, attacking, or intimidating someone, especially through unwanted attention, messages, requests, or threats. It can describe the action itself, as in “They were harassing passers-by outside the station,” or a kind of conduct, as in “The tenant reported receiving harassing calls.” The word is used in everyday life, workplaces, schools, and legal contexts, where it often suggests persistence and an unwanted or intimidating effect. A single unpleasant encounter may be described as annoying, but the idea of repeated pressure is central to the modern meaning. Harassing carries a stronger and more serious connotation than milder expressions such as “bothering” or “pestering,” particularly when the conduct involves threats, unwanted sexual attention, or a sustained pattern of intrusion.
To repeatedly trouble, pressure, attack, or intimidate someone, especially through unwanted attention, requests, messages, or threats.
"The group spent the evening harassing residents outside the station."
This is the present participle and gerund form of “harass.” It commonly describes repeated unwanted behavior and is normally transitive.
Characterized by persistent, unwanted, or intimidating behavior directed toward someone.
"The company investigated several complaints of harassing emails sent to employees."
The attributive use is common in phrases such as “harassing calls,” “harassing messages,” and “harassing behavior.”
Harassment is often less about one outrageous moment than a pattern: repeated pressure can turn ordinary nuisance into intimidation.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does harassing come from?
Harassing derives from the English verb “harass,” which was borrowed from French “harasser.” The French word was related to “harer,” associated with besieging, troubling, or hounding, and English gradually extended the sense from attacks and pressure to persistent annoyance. The modern forms “harassment” and “harasser” developed from the same verbal base, reflecting the longstanding use of the word for repeated troubling or intimidating conduct.
Related word forms
How harassing is actually used
In legal, workplace, and everyday contexts, harassing often describes a repeated course of conduct rather than a single incident. It is more formal and potentially more serious than words such as “bugging” or “pestering.” As a verb form, it is normally used transitively with a person or group as its object.