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
Pien Huang, NPR, 2 May 2026
Yusei Kikuchi said throwing fastballs was bothering him again, so the Los Angeles Angels pitcher left Wednesday's 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Chicago White Sox after two innings with left shoulder tightness.
—CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
Please order Keegan to make a pre-bathroom coffee for both of us for one week and then stop bothering me about it.
—John Hodgman, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2026
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
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
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
Verb
Try taking 10 to 15 minutes each day to write out what's bothering you.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 2 May 2026
Yusei Kikuchi said throwing fastballs was bothering him again, so the Los Angeles Angels pitcher left Wednesday's 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Chicago White Sox after two innings with left shoulder tightness.
—CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
Please order Keegan to make a pre-bathroom coffee for both of us for one week and then stop bothering me about it.
—John Hodgman, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2026
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bothering
Noun
-
An ally in public As the MeToo movement focused attention on women facing harassment in the workplace, Swalwell publicly positioned himself as a champion of women.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
4 May 2026
-
Facing these smear-site claims, Baldoni in particular was still loathed to cop to any of the harassment or digital punking, sources tell me.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Air quality concerns Smoke continued to linger Wednesday, worrying residents.—
Elijah Westbrook,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
-
Investors previously challenged the company's aggressive spending initiatives, worrying that new tech investments would take time to pay off.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Although pest control companies offer lethal solutions such as carpenter bee traps or chemical treatments, the best way to keep carpenter bees from bugging you is using stained, sealed, varnished or treated wood in building projects.—
Sarah Linn
April 24,
Sacbee.com,
24 Apr. 2026
-
So, all the things people were yelling about with Southwest weren’t bugging me.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The curators supply a historical backdrop, therefore, but discreetly, and without distracting us from Wright’s poetic originality.—
Julian Bell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The Living Room also extends outdoors to the rooftop Terrazzo Bar with views that are almost too distracting.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But, in historic gold-rush regions, prospectors use it to identify disturbances in the landscape that are suggestive of former mining operations, in the hope of finding overlooked stores.—
Jennifer Wilson,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Talks to purchase the animals began months before the April disturbance, and Simmons said her group wasn’t connected to the protests.—
David Fischer,
Fortune,
4 May 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
-
Valve’s timing also coincided with a tenuous time for Windows, when Microsoft was asking users to move from Windows 10 to Windows 11, an OS with a reputation for being irritating and having higher system requirements.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
1 May 2026
-
Strong gusts of wind disperse the pollen and mold, irritating lungs.—
Devika Rao,
TheWeek,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The most concerning scenario is a slow-moving catastrophe that never fully enters public consciousness due to largely absent data.—
Jesse Pines,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
-
His administration is expected to transform political dynamics within the European Union, where the former prime minister had upended the bloc by frequently vetoing key decisions, most recently concerning support for neighboring Ukraine.—
Justin Spike,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bothering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bothering. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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