Bullied

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈbʊlid/

Definitions

1. To undergo persistent emotional or physical harassment resulting in distress
2. To experience ongoing mistreatment or threats from others in a manner that may cause harm or fear
3. Experienced continual harassment or intimidation causing emotional or physical harm

Etymology: Bully began as a word of affection. Around 1530 it was used as a term of endearment, probably a diminutive of Dutch "boel," meaning "lover" or "brother," which traces back through Middle Dutch and Old Dutch to a Germanic root for "brother." Its bond with brotherhood is remarkable: the word that once meant something close to "dear fellow" turned sour over the following century. In the 1600s the meaning deteriorated. It first described a noisy, blustering fellow, then a fine swaggering character, and by the 1680s a harasser of the weak. Some have linked the shift to "bull," the male cattle, but that connection is uncertain. Another possible route runs through the sense of a prostitute's minder, which may have helped darken the word. The old positive sense survives in the phrase "bully pulpit," a forceful platform for influence. Bullied, the past tense of the verb, describes being repeatedly tormented by someone stronger.

Synonyms: harassed, intimidated, oppressed, victimized, tormented

Antonyms: protected, defended, supported, empowered, uplifted