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
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Patricia Mazzei, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2026
And that doesn’t bother me at all.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 17 Feb. 2026
Morgan Fargo, Vogue, 16 Oct. 2025
There, the Enterprise crew will be strangely ignorant of an enemy that had caused Starfleet no end of bother just a few years earlier.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bother
Verb
Neither seemed to bother Cochran-Siegle, 33, whose medals in both Olympics came as something of a surprise.
—Patricia Mazzei, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2026
And that doesn’t bother me at all.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 17 Feb. 2026
Noun
No bother, there are plenty of other non-mollusc options to try.
—Morgan Fargo, Vogue, 16 Oct. 2025
There, the Enterprise crew will be strangely ignorant of an enemy that had caused Starfleet no end of bother just a few years earlier.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bother
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bother
Verb
-
In addition to worry over exposure to toxins in food and drinking water, more than 60% of American adults are also very or somewhat concerned about chemicals that industry uses in children’s toys and baby products, food packaging, and personal care products such as makeup, the Pew survey found.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
-
With nine Democrats in the field, party leaders worry that two Republican candidates could advance to November’s general election.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Maybe this will be the year when the owner stops being annoyed.—
Mike Lupica,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
-
In the statement, the zoo said the mother may have thought her baby was annoyed with Punch, which upset her.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The 12 villas come with a living room, a separate bedroom, and kitchen stocked with complimentary snacks and drinks from the mini bar, a pre-dinner amuse bouche from the chef each evening, and a patio with a separate entrance for staffers to set up morning breakfast without disturbing you.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Set in the 1990s, the film centers on a young FBI agent (Maika Monroe) who investigates a series of disturbing murders connected by highly specific commonalities.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Andrea gets up and hurries across the street, catching the doctor at the clinic entrance.—
Rodrigo Hasbún,
Literary Hub,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Vrabel and Josh McDaniels weren’t in a hurry to give him a starting spot as a slot receiver.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Honeysuckle is considered a nuisance by many homeowners.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
19 Feb. 2026
-
This list includes invasive species that spread across the landscape, smothering everything in their path (like kudzu, of course), as well as fast-growing native species, like trumpet vine and Virginia creeper, which spread quickly and can become a nuisance in yards and gardens.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Major industry groups including the American Petroleum Institute have not fought to kill the federal endangerment finding, because a patchwork of state laws could ultimately replace it — leading to legal headaches and a raft of nuisance lawsuits against them, experts said.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
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Gone are the days of worrying that your vitamins or headache medication accidentally spilled all over the bottom of the bag; this style has two layers of defense.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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There are different reasons a person might want to scream, whether they have been told to stay silent about abuse experienced as a child, or have been dismissed or ignored as an adult, or are struggling with a political landscape that has exacerbated feelings of fear, anger and frustration.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2026
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Hudson described the frustration of being pigeonholed by an industry that struggled to see her outside the genre.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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My own parents met coming out of a movie theater in New Britain when my less than suave Coast Guard father pestered my mother for a date.—
Jody Mamone,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
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Every day the press corps descended on both teams with pestering questions, some of which were obvious plants to promote products.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bother.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bother. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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