noun
Meaning 1
The act of molesting.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
molestation
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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UK: /mɒlɪˈsteɪʃən/
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UK: /ˌməʊlɪˈsteɪʃən/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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US: mō'lĕstāʹshən
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US: /ˌmoʊlɪˈsteɪʃən/
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CMU ARPABET: M OW2 L EH0 S T EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
the act of tormenting by continued persistent attacks and criticism
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: harassment
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: mistreatment
Narrower terms: baiting, badgering, worrying, torment, bedevilment, sexual harassment, tease, teasing, ribbing, tantalization, witch-hunt
noun
Meaning 3
the act of subjecting someone to unwanted or improper sexual advances or activity (especially women or children)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: sexual assault, sexual abuse, sex crime, sex offense
History
Etymology
From Old French molestacion, from Latin molestatio. By surface analysis, molest + -ation.
Across languages
Translations
6 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- German: Belästigung — The action of molesting
- Māori: turaturatanga — The action of molesting
- Polish: molestowanie — The action of molesting
- Spanish: abuso sexual — The action of molesting
- Spanish: pederastia — The action of molesting
- Swedish: ofredande — The action of molesting
Real reading context