Cyberbullying Terms

noun a person who uses strength or power to harm or intimidate those who are weaker

verb to use strength or power to harm or intimidate others

• The school has a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of bully behavior.
• I heard that Peter is being a bully to some of the younger kids at school.
• Don't be such a bully, just let me have a turn on the video game.
• The dark clouds seemed to bully the sun into hiding behind them.

verb to subject someone to aggressive pressure or intimidation

adjective causing distress or annoyance

• The company has strict policies against harassing behavior in the workplace.
• Stop harassing me with your constant phone calls.
• Why are you always harassing me about my ex?
• The storm clouds were harassing the small town, threatening to unleash their fury.

adjective making or spreading scandalous claims about someone with the intention of damaging their reputation

• The journalist was accused of spreading scurrilous rumors about the politician.
• I can't believe the scurrilous lies that are being spread about her.
• Don't listen to that scurrilous gossip, it's all made up.
• His scurrilous behavior tarnished his reputation beyond repair.

verb to provoke or challenge someone with insulting or mocking remarks or actions

• The act of taunting someone is considered disrespectful and unprofessional.
• Stop taunting your little brother, it's not nice.
• She was taunting him with jokes about his haircut.
• The dark clouds taunted the farmers with the promise of rain but never delivered.

noun a severe scolding or verbal attack

verb to scold or criticize harshly

• The politician received a tongue lash from the opposition during the debate.
• She gave him a good tongue lashing for forgetting their anniversary.
• The teacher's tongue lash was brutal after catching the students cheating on the test.
• The harsh criticism felt like a tongue lash to his ego.

adjective A word that describes a noun or pronoun, in this case 'toxic' describes something that is poisonous or harmful.

• The laboratory conducted tests to determine the level of toxic chemicals in the water supply.
• I heard that relationship is toxic, you should consider ending it.
• That party was so toxic, I had to leave early.
• The toxic environment at work is really affecting my mental health.

noun a defamatory statement or representation

• The politician faced vilification from the public after his controversial remarks.
• She couldn't handle the vilification from her classmates for being different.
• The celebrity received a lot of hate and vilification on social media.
• The vilification of her character was like a dark cloud hanging over her reputation.

noun a form of sexual harassment involving the sending of unsolicited explicit images or videos via electronic communication

• The issue of cyber-flashing has become a growing concern in the digital age.
• I can't believe someone tried cyber-flashing me on the train yesterday.
• Watch out for creeps who might be cyber-flashing you online.
• His inappropriate messages felt like a form of cyber-flashing to her.

noun a person who belittles or disparages others

• The belittler constantly undermines the achievements of his colleagues.
• She's such a belittler, always making fun of everyone around her.
• I can't stand that guy, he's such a belittler.
• The dark clouds acted as a belittler, overshadowing the beauty of the sunset.

noun a person who stirs up hatred or prejudice against a particular group of people

• The politician was labeled a hatemonger for his divisive rhetoric.
• I can't stand listening to that hatemonger on the radio.
• That guy is such a hatemonger, always spreading hate everywhere.
• The online forum had turned into a breeding ground for hatemongers.

noun a slang term referring to a figurative drink representing negativity or criticism

• Some people seem to enjoy drinking haterade rather than supporting others.
• Why is she always sipping on haterade whenever we talk about someone else?
• Don't pay attention to those haters sipping on haterade.
• His negative comments were like a pitcher of haterade being poured over our excitement.

noun a word that refers to a person, place, thing, event, substance, or quality

adjective a word that describes or gives more information about a noun

• Textual harassment is a serious issue that can have legal consequences.
• I can't believe she's still dealing with that textual harassment from her ex.
• Textual harassment is never okay, no matter what.
• The constant barrage of messages felt like a form of textual harassment.