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Definition of bothernext
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as in to fret
to experience concern or anxiety just get the basic concept right and don't bother about the details

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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bother

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noun

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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
That kind of thing has bothered the Cavs for years. Joe Vardon, New York Times, 14 May 2026 That doesn't bother anyone else? Glen Weldon, NPR, 14 May 2026
Noun
Experts have a long history of torturing us with predictions about how technology will wipe us out, first our jobs and then just getting rid of us altogether because humans are a bother. Peter Cappelli, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2026 If even a die-hard Huppert admirer like me has trouble getting through it, why would a casual cinephile bother? Peter Debruge, Variety, 8 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bother
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bother
Verb
  • Yet with the tool’s skyrocketing popularity, some experts worry about potential hallucinations or incomplete answers, the potential for doctors’ critical thinking skills to erode and more.
    Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 13 May 2026
  • No need to worry about fitting them in your personal item either, as most of their products can be easily stored in accompanying travel bags or deflated to take up less room.
    Jamie Spain, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 May 2026
Verb
  • That’s what so annoys Erika at some point.
    Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 18 May 2026
  • But if creases annoy you, look elsewhere.
    Bloomberg, Mercury News, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • Instead of relying on a traditional metal antenna to capture a signal, the system uses lasers to monitor how incoming radio waves disturb the atoms.
    Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 17 May 2026
  • Disrupting the possibility of cheerful solitude is both a stylistic and social shift, disturbing the film’s non-narrative serenity while depicting how dismantling the safety net displaces basic functions onto those least able to bear them.
    Vadim Rizov, IndieWire, 16 May 2026
Noun
  • Everyone was in a hurry to move forward into a newly peaceful world, a world without the tragedies of war abroad and the curse of sickness at home.
    Fran Moreland Johns, The Atlantic, 11 May 2026
  • Kiffin knows that, in Oxford and everywhere else, the love of fans and donors can sour in a hurry.
    Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 11 May 2026
Noun
  • The hotel is on a block next to a major road, but the noise is more of a distant city hum than a nuisance.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 May 2026
  • Sargassum has become an increasingly expensive nuisance for coastal communities, and as blooms become larger due to warming water temperatures because of climate change and fertilizer run off providing blooms with endless nutrients, the problem will continue to mushroom.
    Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 13 May 2026
Noun
  • Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome causes fatigue, fever, muscle aches, abdominal problems, headaches, chills and dizziness in the early stages, and late symptoms include chest tightness, coughing, shortness of breath and lungs filling with fluid.
    Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
  • And Malia is also achingly lonesome for her family life, with a sister about to get married and a doting father played, in this headache-inducingly twisty psychodrama’s most refreshing meta-twist, by Romanian director Radu Jude.
    Jessica Kiang, Variety, 18 May 2026
Noun
  • Viola’s reaction spotlighted growing frustration among competitors who believe the ruling body is using procedural fixes to avoid addressing biological differences in girls' sports.
    Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
  • Many of them came from north Denver, where neighbors have expressed frustration about a CoreSite data center there.
    Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 19 May 2026
Verb
  • Fudd played some solid defense early with a quick steal and spent some time pestering Clark.
    Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 May 2026
  • The pal had a place in the beach town for quite some time and had long been pestering the former TAP Air pilot to stop by and see the area’s unparallelled beauty and tranquility for himself.
    Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 1 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Bother.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bother. Accessed 21 May. 2026.

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