1
as in to worry
to thrust oneself upon (another) without invitation
I am never going to get this work done if people don't stop wandering into the room and bothering me
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to annoy
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
it bothers me when obviously sick people go to movies and spend the whole time coughing and sneezing
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3
as in to fret
to experience concern or anxiety
just get the basic concept right and don't bother about the details
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4
as in to disturb
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
the boss's cryptic message about changes to the company bothered me
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1
as in hurry
a state of noisy, confused activity
the whole household was in a bother, as our overnight guests were expected to arrive any minute
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2
as in nuisance
one who is obnoxiously annoying
the woman next-door is such a bother—always dropping in at the most inopportune moments!
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3
as in headache
something that is a source of irritation
returning damaged goods is a real bother
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4
as in frustration
the feeling of impatience or anger caused by another's repeated disagreeable acts
never let his personal bothers interfere with his responsibilities at work
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of bother
Ella Lee, The Hill, 6 May 2026
This defense with this personnel feels like a long shot to bother SGA for consecutive games, much less a whole series.
—Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 6 May 2026
Peter Debruge, Variety, 8 Feb. 2026
The sobriety mandate will be good for your guests’ health while also sparing you the bother of hosting future Super Bowl parties.
—Greg Cote
february 5, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bother
Verb
Criticism of the court doesn’t bother me.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 6 May 2026
This defense with this personnel feels like a long shot to bother SGA for consecutive games, much less a whole series.
—Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 6 May 2026
Noun
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
The sobriety mandate will be good for your guests’ health while also sparing you the bother of hosting future Super Bowl parties.
—Greg Cote
february 5, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bother
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bother
Verb
-
One perhaps shouldn’t worry too much about AI being prompted to resurrect a talk-show host, what with the whole format dying anyway.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
6 May 2026
-
Equally important, a chatbot does not worry about your wellbeing the way a doctor might—which is important, since the best healers combine technical skills with moral judgment and empathy.—
Sudheesha Perera,
Time,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
To Henry, this would have been for the greater good of English football, but the reaction was again one of anger and Henry was annoyed that the idea was killed off.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
-
The non-meat use of the term came from the online chat room community, which by the late 1980s was already using it to denote a mass influx of data into their chat rooms that could trigger a computer crash and/or annoy chat room users.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Manta Sleep Mask has adjustable eye cups that create a true blackout, so cabin lights and neighboring seatback screens don’t disturb her rest.—
Karthika Gupta,
Travel + Leisure,
10 May 2026
-
Not to mention, harvesting garlic bulbs can disturb the soil quite a bit and interfere with the growth of sage plant roots.—
Lauren Landers,
The Spruce,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Arteta sprinted off to retrieve the ball like a man possessed, in a hurry.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
-
Topped with special sauce and pickle slices, these will be gone in a hurry.—
Cameron Beall,
Southern Living,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
For a league still trying to grow its footprint, treating media availability like a nuisance is a curious growth strategy.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
-
The second phase of the proceedings, known as a juryless bench trial, will establish over a three-week period if Meta’s actions created a public nuisance, thus warranting potential product changes.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
The headache for employers could be to the benefit of workers, as Huang has previously suggested trades people could soon command six-figure salaries, even early in their career.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
11 May 2026
-
Listeriosis can cause symptoms of fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions.—
Chiara Kim,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Now, two and a half months after the start of the war, Sánchez’s frustrations are broadly shared by his peers in Europe.—
Ishaan Tharoor,
New Yorker,
13 May 2026
-
In both competitive partisan races and in Democrat-on-Democrat contests, analysts say frustration about the economy is bubbling up from voters.—
Justine McDaniel,
Los Angeles Times,
12 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
Cite this Entry
“Bother.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bother. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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