It's tough to stand up to a workplace bully, especially if it's your boss. So practice your speech. Remain very calm while delivering it. Then be quiet and wait for a response. As a last resort, report the abuse to a higher-up or to the human resources department.
Many companies have anti-harassment policies that forbid retaliation against victims.
However nice that sounds in an employee handbook, though, it doesn't always work in real life. By the way, there's no law against being mean. Harassment and discrimination at work are illegal only when they are based on age, race, gender, disability and other classes protected by civil-rights laws. Jill Schwartz, a Winter Park lawyer specializing in workplace law, said it would be extremely difficult to make a legal case against a co-worker over emotional distress. If it's a known bully, the complaints may not fall on deaf ears.