What does "harassed" mean?

1. (stressed and pressured) feeling tired and stressed because you have too much work or too many problems to deal with at once. 2. (subject to unwanted attention) experiencing repeated, unpleasant, or threatening behaviour from someone else.

How do you use "harassed"?

Often describes a person's appearance or facial expression. Commonly used in legal or workplace contexts regarding conduct.

harassed

adj.

US //hɝˈæst// UK //həɹˈæst// ha·rassed

1 stressed and pressured (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

feeling tired and stressed because you have too much work or too many problems to deal with at once.

feeling strained or exhausted due to persistent demands, interruptions, or pressures.

Example

The shop assistant looked harassed as she tried to help five customers at the same time.

Example

The manager appeared increasingly harassed as the deadline approached, juggling constant phone calls while attempting to finalise the quarterly budget.

Usage

Often describes a person's appearance or facial expression.

Teacher's tip

Learners often confuse this with 'busy'; 'harassed' implies a negative emotional state of being overwhelmed, not just having a lot to do.
- stressed
- pressured
- strained
- frazzled
2 subject to unwanted attention (adj.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

experiencing repeated, unpleasant, or threatening behaviour from someone else.

subjected to persistent, intrusive, or aggressive behaviour that causes distress.

Example

The celebrity felt harassed by the photographers who followed her every move.

Example

The committee investigated claims that junior staff felt harassed by the aggressive management style of the new director.

Usage

Commonly used in legal or workplace contexts regarding conduct.
- pestered
- targeted
- victimized

Origin

From harass + -ed.

Word family

Verbharass
Nounharassment
Adjectiveharassed
Adjectiveharassing