as in harassment
the act of making unwelcome intrusions upon another
one more bothering, and I'm going to kick you out of here
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in worrying
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bugging
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in fearing
to experience concern or anxiety
just get the basic concept right and don't bother about the details
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in distracting
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
the boss's cryptic message about changes to the company bothered me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bothering
Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
But that doesn’t excuse failing to execute on the ABCs of lobbying — such as not bothering even to show up at a hearing on a policy the mayor considers an urgent priority.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
Both players scored in double figures on Sunday, but Santos was ruled out against the Kings because of a pelvis injury that has been bothering him for weeks.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026
Kylian Mbappe’s knee might be bothering him, but head coach Didier Deschamps picking him as captain in 2023 was more than a concession to the best player in his camp.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Why are two players whose college careers, at the moment, are over bothering to put their names out there for other programs to see?
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 31 Mar. 2026
Throughout the day, jot down any worries that are bothering you, particularly the ones that keep popping up.
—Andee Tagle, NPR, 27 Mar. 2026
Like, cool, got the game, but now the TV feels small, and suddenly the thermostat situation is bothering you, too.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Eventually, the girl let on that her classmate had indeed been bothering her, poking her in the back and face with his fingers — but did not say the boy had threatened to kill her, according to the police report.
—Jeff Ernsthausen, ProPublica, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
Sit there like nothing is bothering you.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
But that doesn’t excuse failing to execute on the ABCs of lobbying — such as not bothering even to show up at a hearing on a policy the mayor considers an urgent priority.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
Both players scored in double figures on Sunday, but Santos was ruled out against the Kings because of a pelvis injury that has been bothering him for weeks.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026
Kylian Mbappe’s knee might be bothering him, but head coach Didier Deschamps picking him as captain in 2023 was more than a concession to the best player in his camp.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Why are two players whose college careers, at the moment, are over bothering to put their names out there for other programs to see?
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 31 Mar. 2026
Throughout the day, jot down any worries that are bothering you, particularly the ones that keep popping up.
—Andee Tagle, NPR, 27 Mar. 2026
Like, cool, got the game, but now the TV feels small, and suddenly the thermostat situation is bothering you, too.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Eventually, the girl let on that her classmate had indeed been bothering her, poking her in the back and face with his fingers — but did not say the boy had threatened to kill her, according to the police report.
—Jeff Ernsthausen, ProPublica, 23 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bothering
Noun
-
Many involve access problems for, or harassment of, students with disabilities.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Liman’s decision dropped Lively’s claims of harassment, defamation and conspiracy, meaning the trial will now center on alleged breach of contract and retaliation by Wayfarer and aiding and abetting retaliation by the PR firm working for Baldoni.—
Hilary Lewis,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Medieval schoolmen worrying over Aristotle could be pedants; so could cultivated female salonnières in seventeenth-century Paris.—
Clare Bucknell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The technology intentionally comes lacking a human face, and its evangelists have both over-promised regarding what the tools can do in the short term while worrying people about the long-term societal impacts.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
So, all the things people were yelling about with Southwest weren’t bugging me.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
21 Mar. 2026
-
But so much of my journalism has been about something that’s bugging me.—
Jack Denton,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Perhaps his most notable friendship is with loyal longtime bodyguard Bill Bray (Keilyn Durrel Jones) and, to a lesser extent, his savvy manager John Branca (Miles Teller in a distracting wig).—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Punk was taking off the tape from his hands and threw it onto the ring, distracting the referee enough to hit Reigns with a low blow.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The arrest came days after he was arrested in the nearby city of Concord after allegedly causing a disturbance at a prep school, the Concord Police Department (CPD) confirmed to PEOPLE at the time.—
Jeff Nelson,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The incident stemmed from a domestic disturbance.—
Suzanne Nuyen,
NPR,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Sometimes, rage bait can be relatively harmless – a recipe that contains disgusting food combinations or someone annoying their pet, partner or sibling.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
1 Dec. 2025
-
But what’s been annoying me even more is that these women should have been trained by producers to start recording on their own cell phones if drama starts to unfold after cameras go down.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
12 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Beneficial for the Atlantic but irritating to many beachgoers – sargassum is set to pile up across South Florida’s beaches again this summer.—
Sarah Perkel,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Sure, there are worse problems to have in life, but there’s no denying that fruit flies are irritating.—
Christine Fiorentino,
Southern Living,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Equally concerning is that requiring twice as many workers per case without a plan to recruit or retain them risks widespread gaps in care.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The technique still needs sanding, and zero interceptions in 48 career games is concerning, but McCutchin’s combine testing gave his draft case a nice shot of nitrous.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bothering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bothering. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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