bother
bother
nounDefinition of BOTHER
1
a state of noisy, confused activity <the whole household was in a bother, as our overnight guests were expected to arrive any minute>
Synonyms ado, alarums and excursions, ballyhoo, blather, bluster, bobbery, bother, bustle, clatter, clutter [chiefly dialect], coil, corroboree [Australian], disturbance, do [chiefly dialect], foofaraw, fun, furor, furore, fuss, helter-skelter, hoo-ha (also hoo-hah), hoopla, hubble-bubble, hubbub, hullabaloo, hurly, hurly-burly, hurricane, hurry, hurry-scurry (or hurry-skurry), kerfuffle [chiefly British], moil, pandemonium, pother, row, ruckus, ruction, rumpus, shindy, splore [Scottish], squall, stew, stir, storm, to-do, tumult, turmoil, uproar, welter, whirl, williwaw, zoo
Related Words cacophony, clamor, din, howl, hue and cry, noise, outcry, racket, roar; disorder, unrest, upheaval; eruption, flare-up, flurry, flutter, outbreak, outburst; brawl, fracas, fray, hassle, melee (also m{ecirc}l{eacute}e), scuffle; dither, fever, fret, lather, tizzy
Near Antonyms calm, hush, peace, quiet, quietude, rest, stillness, tranquillity (or tranquility); order, orderliness
2
one who is obnoxiously annoying <the woman next-door is such a bother—always dropping in at the most inopportune moments!>
Synonyms annoyance, annoyer, bother, gadfly, gnawer, nudnik (also nudnick), pain, persecutor, pest, tease, teaser
3
something that is a source of irritation <returning damaged goods is a real bother>
Synonyms aggravation, aggro [British], bother, botheration, bugbear, exasperation, frustration, hair shirt, hassle, headache, inconvenience, irk, irritant, nuisance, peeve, pest, rub, ruffle, thorn, trial, vexation
Related Words discomfort, fleabite, pinprick; affront, insult, offense (or offence); upset, worry; affliction, albatross, burden, cross, curse, menace, millstone, plague, sore; anxiety, plight, predicament, tribulation, trouble; hang-up, pet peeve, problem; annoyer, disturber, harasser, mischief, offender; pandora's box
4
the feeling of impatience or anger caused by another's repeated disagreeable acts <never let his personal bothers interfere with his responsibilities at work>
Synonyms aggravation, aggro [British], bother, botheration, exasperation, frustration, grief, irritation, pip [chiefly British], vexation
Related Words agitation, discomfort, displeasure, distress, disturbance, upset; irritability, irritableness, peeve, perturbation, pet, pique, resentment, snappishness, trouble; anger, angriness, chafe, dander, dudgeon, gall, huff, indignation, irateness, ire, outrage, umbrage
