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molestare

to harass, to molest

verb moh-les-TAH-reh Rare
People & Society Crime

Origin: Latin molestare (to trouble)

Also means

to bother, to pester

Usage Note

Molestare covers a range from mild annoyance ('to pester') to sexual harassment and criminal assault. Context and degree determine the severity: molestare qualcuno per strada can mean street harassment, while molestie sessuali is the standard term for sexual harassment. It takes avere as its auxiliary. False friend warning: English 'to molest' implies sexual assault, but Italian molestare spans a much wider range of unwanted behaviors.

Examples

"È vietato molestare i passanti."

Natural Translation

It is forbidden to harass passers-by.

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