Harassed

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Suffering from ongoing irritation or distress due to constant unwelcome behaviors or intrusions that create a sense of unease or anxiety
2. Undergoing frequent and unwarranted disturbances or pressures that result in emotional turmoil or discomfort in daily life
3. Experiencing repeated and unwanted disruptions or aggressive behavior that leads to feelings of anxiety and distress

Etymology: "Harassed" is the past tense and past participle of "harass," so its story is essentially the story of its parent verb plus the ordinary English ending that marks past action. The "-ed" ending traces back through Old English "-ed" and earlier Germanic endings, ultimately to a very old Indo-European suffix that marked completed action. That ending has been attached to native English verbs for well over a thousand years, so the grammar itself is one of the oldest parts of the word. The verb "harass" is the more interesting piece. It came into English from French "harasser," meaning to tire out or exhaust, and the French verb drew on an earlier Old French word for a worn-out horse, "harer," an interjection used to set dogs on. The original sense was physical exhaustion, the wearing down of a creature by repeated effort, and the idea of relentless pressure grew naturally out of that image.

Synonyms: pestered, bothered, annoyed

Antonyms: comforted, soothed