It is prohibited to cause another person grief through insulting or disparaging speech. For example, one should not use mocking nicknames or titles. This prohibition applies even to appellations that are commonly used. However, one violates this prohibition only if he uses the name or epithet with the intention of shaming the individual.

This prohibition is most severe when one shames someone in the presence of others, to the extent that the Sages compared this abusive act to bloodshed.

A husband must take extraordinary care with his wife’s honor, and avoid causing her any suffering; this too is included in the prohibition of verbal abuse.

The prohibition of verbal abuse also includes bothering a salesperson in a store with questions about the quality and price of a product when the questioner has no intention of buying from that store. Nowadays, however, some businesses actually encourage buyers to come into their store and inquire about products even if they do not intend to purchase them, in the hope that they might still buy something, either during that visit or on another occasion. If this is the policy of the store, it is permitted.

The prohibition against hurting others verbally does not apply to offering constructive criticism to a friend, as long as one does so with good intentions and knows that the other person is interested in what he has to say. Even then, one must voice the criticism in accordance with the halakhot of giving reproof.