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Synonym Chooser

How does the verb bother differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of bother are annoy, irk, and vex. While all these words mean "to upset a person's composure," bother suggests interference with comfort or peace of mind.

don't bother me while I'm reading

In what contexts can annoy take the place of bother?

The words annoy and bother are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, annoy implies a wearing on the nerves by persistent petty unpleasantness.

their constant complaining annoys us

When can irk be used instead of bother?

Although the words irk and bother have much in common, irk stresses difficulty in enduring and the resulting weariness or impatience of spirit.

careless waste irks the boss

When is it sensible to use vex instead of bother?

The synonyms vex and bother are sometimes interchangeable, but vex implies greater provocation and stronger disturbance and usually connotes anger but sometimes perplexity or anxiety.

vexed by her son's failure to clean his room

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bother
Verb
So what exactly got the studio so hot and bothered? Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2025 Bustle surveyed readers about money etiquette and found that 90% wouldn’t bother with a Venmo request for less than $10. Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
But, in Los Alamitos, the troop presence hasn’t been a bother for the surrounding community, Hasselbrink said. Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 8 July 2025 Indeed, the dog didn't seem to have any problems moving with the crate around him, even managing to change direction without bother. Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for bother
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bother
Verb
  • As if the local deer population had enough to worry about as the bow hunting season begins, now a disease is spreading between them.
    Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 5 Oct. 2025
  • From junior staffers worried about automation to managers fearing irrelevance, no one feels entirely safe.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In practice, Musk bowed to authoritarian governments or banned critical journalists when their reporting annoyed him.
    Jacob Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Joe proceeded to get drunk, annoy her (and multiple other cast members), and ultimately exit the party early to pass out in his room.
    Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • When a school principal (Ashley Padilla) and a teacher (Mikey Day) reprimand a student (Hernandez) for disturbing drawings of him attacking the principal, the student’s father (Bad Bunny) comes in, and Padilla’s principal, immediately smitten, changes course to hitting on the student’s father.
    Rima Parikh, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2025
  • The deaths have disturbed the Cranford community.
    Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Brandon Arrington, the fastest high school runner in the state, is in a hurry — to graduate.
    Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Now, Trinity will need to turn things around in a hurry to salvage its season.
    Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Situations like this are certainly a nuisance, but the quickest way to cause animosity with your neighbors is to come between them and their sleep.
    Libby Monteith Minor, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025
  • While many consider the mammal a nuisance for raiding garbage cans and damaging property, raccoons can also carry diseases, and they probably shouldn't be kept as housepets.
    Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • On a 50% discount right now, the TP-Link Archer AXE75 upgrades your home Wi-Fi without the setup headache.
    Jade Chung-Lee, PC Magazine, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Soon, Disley learned that Chewy was in the nurse's office frequently — sometimes three times a day — due to headaches and stomachaches.
    Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The comments illustrate the frustration as the four remaining controllers waited on a regional air traffic control center across the state to clear planes to enter the airspace.
    Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025
  • In the film, directed by Mike Judge, Peter Gibbons (Livingston) and his coworkers, Michael Bolton (David Herman) and Samir Nagheenanajar (Ajay Naidu), enjoy the last day at their job by taking out years of frustrations on their frequently malfunctioning office printer.
    Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Schroder, who has a reputation for pestering opposing point guards, is the head of that spear.
    Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2025
  • As hope for more aid began to fizzle, Susie pestered FEMA.
    Jennifer Berry Hawes, ProPublica, 27 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Bother.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bother. Accessed 11 Oct. 2025.

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