BOTHERING Synonyms: 212 Similar and Opposite Words

bothering 1 of 2

noun

as in harassment

the act of making unwelcome intrusions upon another one more bothering, and I'm going to kick you out of here

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bothering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of bother

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in fearing

to experience concern or anxiety just get the basic concept right and don't bother about the details

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as in distracting

to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy the boss's cryptic message about changes to the company bothered me

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 bothering

Verb

Lane Kiffin will stroll off the LSU bus later this afternoon, acting as if none of the noise is bothering him. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026 The injury was something that had been bothering Smith throughout training camp, but the decision to get surgery wasn’t made until recently. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Sep. 2026 The list of maladies bothering Ohtani is lengthy, and grew this week. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Ohtani reported that the area from his biceps to his neck was bothering him Wednesday night, Roberts said. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Something at home could be bothering you more than you’d like to admit, perhaps a tense family dynamic or the fact that your apartment is a literal mess. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026 Ask what’s bothering them, then get specific about the budget, timeline, and genuine risk. — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 1 Sep. 2026 Some interns hesitate to contact their former colleagues for fear of bothering them, but most people are eager to help out young talent. — Sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2026 The one issue that is bothering me at or just before launch is the CPU's Wear and Tear management. — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bothering

Noun

Campbell is now charged with simple assault and harassment, which are misdemeanor and summary offenses.

— Shelley Bortz, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
The Times examined the county’s restraining order process, compiling data from hundreds of thousands of cases, and interviewing dozens of domestic abuse and harassment victims, attorneys and victim service providers.

— Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of harassment

Noun

The person upstairs came down, confronted the man involved in the disturbance and shot him at least once, according to the release.

— Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Sep. 2026
The ecological consequences of losing what remains Some coastal old-growth stands on Vancouver Island have not experienced a major disturbance since the end of the last ice age some 12,000 years ago.

— Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of disturbance

Verb

Children became the sales force, pestering their parents for the latest product.

— Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
In the clip shared on social media, the bird appears poised to go after a second player before veering off at the last moment, then continues pestering several others on the field until the referee is forced to pause the game.

— Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of pestering

Verb

Kids in all three countries loved learning dances from TikTok and annoying their siblings.

— Ryan Lenora Brown, Christian Science Monitor, 12 Aug. 2026
Of course, this would depend on whether the managers choose to pick their strongest teams in what for some is a meaningless, even annoying extra fixture, for squads who just want to go home.

— Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 18 July 2026

Definition of annoying

Verb

Cruise has previously spoken about artificial intelligence during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA negotiations, during which the actor pushed for protections concerning the technology.

— Jake Kanter, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2026
While promoters and venues wield great power over concert tours, experts say an artist of Sheeran’s magnitude generally has the final say about what happens concerning the shows.

— Tassanee Vejpongsa, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of concerning

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“Bothering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bothering. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of bothering

noun

verb

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