bothered

adjective

both·​ered ˈbä-t͟hərd 

: feeling or showing agitation, worry, annoyance, etc.

Never had Johnny seen Rab so bothered about anything as he was over his inability to get himself a good modern gun.

—Esther Forbes

… insisted that there was really nothing to get all hot and bothered [=angrily upset] about.

—Peter Berkowitz

Synonyms of bothered

• annoyed
• irritated
• upset
• exasperated

Examples of bothered in a Sentence

got all hot and bothered by his brother's constant unsolicited advice

Recent Examples on the Web

Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi star as childhood pals turned hot and bothered frenemies having quite the torrid love affair as adults in a sumptuous and quite haughty bad romance. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 8 May 2026

After a frustrating conversation with a hotel staffer about the air conditioning, a hot and bothered Fuller threw on a ball cap, turned it backward and recorded a rant on his cellphone. —Tia Mitchell, AJC.com, 1 May 2026

Luckily, the kids don't seem too bothered. —Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026

For the first time in a minute, PTA doesn’t look too bothered to be explaining himself about this movie, perhaps because he’s finally got the hardware to back up a worthy film that dares to upset or even confound its audience. —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of bother entry 1

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bothered

• grandfathered
• fathered