molest
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /məˈlɛst/
rhymes: -ɛst
Forms: form: molests
form: molesting
form: molested
form: molested
Etymology: From Middle English molesten, from Old French molester, from Latin molestō (“to trouble, annoy, molest”), from molestus (“troublesome”), from moles (“a burden, difficulty, labor, trouble”); see mole.
Senses: examples: text: At last he simmered down, choked out his explanations. And the news was indeed enormous. That afternoon, just three hours earlier, his younger sister, Gina, had been molested, debauched, as she crossed a children's playground in the park.
ref: 1976 June 7, Nik Cohn, “Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night”, in New York, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 29 Dec 2022:
synonyms: come on to
diddle
touch
glosses: To sexually assault or sexually harass.
examples: text: They have molested the church with needless opposition.
ref: 1594–1597, Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Will[iam] Stansby [for Matthew Lownes], published 1611, →OCLC, (please specify the page):
text: It was a true sanctuary. Once inside, the Faces were unreachable. Nothing could molest them. They were no longer the oppressed, wretched teen menials who must take orders, toe the line. Here they took command, they reigned.
ref: 1976 June 7, Nik Cohn, “Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night”, in New York, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 29 Dec 2022:
text: A person must not delay, obstruct, hinder or molest an authorized officer who is performing a function under this Regulation.
ref: 2020, Chief Executive in Council, “Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Group Gathering) Regulation”, in Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Gazette, Section 13(1), page B555:
synonyms: word: bother
word: disturb
word: aggravate
word: annoy
word: rankle
word: ruffle
word: sting
word: antagonize
word: bother
word: disgruntle
word: botherate
word: bug
word: get
word: grate
word: burn up
word: bedevil
word: cheese off
word: devil
word: exasperate
word: frustrate
word: get up
word: grotch
word: hack off
word: hassle
word: irk
word: irritate
word: jazz
word: molest
word: mommick
word: nark
word: nerve
word: pee off
word: peeve
word: persecute
word: pique
word: piss off
word: provoke
word: rile
word: rile up
word: roil
word: storm
word: test someone's patience
word: tick off
word: trouble
word: try one's patience
word: vex
word: wind up
word: Idioms:
word: boil someone's piss
word: chap someone's hide
word: get on someone's nerves
word: get on someone's tits
word: get on someone's wick
word: get someone's back up
word: get someone's dander up
word: get someone's goat
word: get someone's Irish up
word: get someone's nanny
word: get someone's nanny-goat
word: get under one's goat
word: get under someone's skin
word: give someone the shits
word: grind one's gears
word: harsh one's mellow
word: put someone's back up
word: raise someone's hackles
word: rub someone the wrong way
word: rub up the wrong way
word: ruffle someone's feathers
word: tee off
word: torque off
glosses: To annoy, trouble, or afflict.
synonyms: dabble in
interfere with
meddle with
glosses: To disturb or tamper with.
Derived terms: molestability
molestable
molestache
molestee
molester
molestful
unmolested
unmolesting
Related terms: molestation