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picking on

VERB

nag, provoke

Synonyms

WEAK

badger bait blame bully carp cavil criticize find fault foment get at get to goad hector incite instigate quibble start tease torment

Antonyms

WEAK

compliment praise

VERB

nag

Synonyms

STRONGEST

badger bully get at tease torment

WEAK

bait blame carp cavil criticize find fault foment get to goad hector incite instigate pick at provoke quibble start

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

They say Letby's defenders are picking on small bits of evidence out of context and that the constant questioning of her guilt is deeply distressing.

From BBC • Aug. 11, 2025

The ETF market can also be mean, picking on specific people.

From Slate • Apr. 22, 2025

Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old Oklahoma student who identified as nonbinary and used they/them pronouns, got into an altercation with three girls in an Owasso High School bathroom who were picking on Benedict and some friends.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 25, 2024

“Once they start picking on you,” said a former resident, Matasha Harris, “they will not leave you alone.”

From New York Times • Nov. 30, 2023

Her reasons for picking on me were as mysterious as Johannes’s reasons for catching up with me one day after school and offering to carry my books.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago