harry

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb harry contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of harry are annoy, harass, pester, plague, tease, and worry. While all these words mean "to disturb or irritate by persistent acts," harry may imply heavy oppression or maltreatment.

the strikers had been harried by thugs

When can annoy be used instead of harry?

The words annoy and harry are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, annoy implies disturbing one's composure or peace of mind by intrusion, interference, or petty attacks.

you're doing that just to annoy me

Where would harass be a reasonable alternative to harry?

While the synonyms harass and harry are close in meaning, harass implies petty persecutions or burdensome demands that exhaust one's nervous or mental power.

harassed on all sides by creditors

When might pester be a better fit than harry?

The words pester and harry can be used in similar contexts, but pester stresses the repetition of petty attacks.

constantly pestered with trivial complaints

When would plague be a good substitute for harry?

The synonyms plague and harry are sometimes interchangeable, but plague implies a painful and persistent affliction.

plagued all her life by poverty

When is it sensible to use tease instead of harry?

While in some cases nearly identical to harry, tease suggests an attempt to break down one's resistance or rouse to wrath.

children teased the dog

In what contexts can worry take the place of harry?

The meanings of worry and harry largely overlap; however, worry implies an incessant goading or attacking that drives one to desperation.

pursued a policy of worrying the enemy

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of harry While Clark says these threats can be mitigated through security control policies and configurations, such as multifactor authentication (MFA), these introduce extra steps that harried guests may not always want to jump through. Kevin Williams, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2024 Popular on Variety Curtis (Cho) and Meredith (Waterston) are devoted if harried suburban parents to three subadult offspring with problems typical for their age. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 30 Aug. 2024 The lunchtime atmosphere at Pizzeria Lugano is harried by the frequent rejiggering of tables to squeeze in the line of strollers that snake toward the patio. Carley Thornell, Robb Report, 1 Aug. 2024 Ukraine has also harried Moscow with strikes aimed mainly at Russian energy installations — mirroring, though at a far smaller scale, the destructive Russian attacks aimed at Ukraine’s power grid. Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for harry 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harry
Verb
  • Ewers was sacked and stripped by former five-star recruit and his Ohio State former roommate.
    Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Jan. 2025
  • On Tuesday, West Ham United sacked Julen Lopetegui (formerly of Wolverhampton Wanderers) and replaced him with Graham Potter (formerly of Chelsea and Brighton).
    Phil Hay, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • In another question, 97% said they were not harassed or bothered when voting.
    Karlyn Bowman, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
  • Detectives arrested Kehoe on a charge of distributing visual material to harass at his West Springfield home, police said.
    Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 3 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Fishing fleets hailing mostly from East Asia and Europe are plundering the southwest Indian Ocean, which spans from Kenya to the South African coast and includes Madagascar's waters.
    Sira Thierij, NPR, 26 Dec. 2024
  • All three were plundered by thieves in ancient and medieval times, so many of the items originally left are no longer there.
    Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • But after one more chuckle, Julia jumps in and scolds her too.
    Abigail Adams, People.com, 5 Jan. 2025
  • Copied Share Laughter as Putin appears to scold the moderator Keir Simmons Reporting from Moscow Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov who is moderating the conference scolded people for asking more than one question, only to be mildly mocked by Putin.
    NBC News, NBC News, 19 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman warned residents of looters and vowed to punish them Wednesday amid reports of looting in the county as firefighters struggle to contain multiple wildfires raging in Southern California, including the massive Pacific Palisades fire.
    Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 9 Jan. 2025
  • At least 20 people have been arrested on suspicion of looting during the wildfires raging in Los Angeles County, according to officials.
    Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Late Night With the Devil (2023) The most recent film on this list flashes back to the same era of media sensationalism savaged by the earliest.
    A.A. Dowd, Vulture, 30 July 2024
  • Kraven the Hunter—a Marvel standalone movie starring Aaron Taylor Johnson and Russell Crowe—is being savaged by critics.
    Tim Lammers, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Some 12,000 structures — buildings and cars — have been destroyed so far, and with them many tons of property of all levels of sentimental meaning.
    Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Jan. 2025
  • In turn, Jod destroyed the Supervisor, shutting down the safety droids and causing a blackout in the city.
    Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Vulture Cultures Ian Rose April 10, 2024 By turns worshipped and reviled, the bird frequently associated with death has appeared in art works for thousands of years.
    The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 27 Dec. 2024
  • These weapons are reviled among human rights advocacy organizations and can have lasting civilian impacts.
    Ellie Cook, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Harry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harry. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

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