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
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

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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

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3
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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4
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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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
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 The arnica in this gel can help treat sore muscles, aches, swelling, or other pains that are bothering you, too. — Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 11 Aug. 2026 Once your child starts spilling the beans about what’s bothering them, be understanding. — Jenna Autuori-Dedic, Parents, 4 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bothering
  1. harassment
  2. worrying
  3. bugging
  4. distracting
  5. disturbance
  6. pestering
  7. annoying
  8. concerning
Noun
  • Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu via Getty Images Two former Golden State Warriors employees have sued the NBA franchise, alleging gender, age and race-based discrimination, workplace harassment and retaliation tied to their terminations.
    — Devon Henderson, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Thirteen days before Morissette’s lawsuit, Urinov filed her own claim against the singer in London’s King Bench Division, which handles cases of defamation, misuse of private information, data protection, and harassment by publication.
    — Kathleen Perricone, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of harassment
Verb
  • While the sports industrial complex has largely been immune from America’s trust crisis, new concerns over betting’s influence on game integrity are not only worrying fans like Brannock, but also league officials.
    — Andrew Zucker, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026
  • McCarthy reunited with Aaron Rodgers, his old Super Bowl quarterback, and Harbaugh inherited Jaxson Dart as the Giants’ established young starter and spent August worrying more about protecting him than replacing him.
    — Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of worrying
Verb
  • However, in-flight cabin etiquette is only one part of what’s bugging travelers this summer.
    — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The necessity of the trip at all is what's been bugging me.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 12 June 2026
Definition of bugging
Verb
  • Some found the logo distracting, but Google Search interest in YouTube TV more than doubled.
    — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The Naturepedic data shows just how distracting the mental load can be.
    — Parents, Parents, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of distracting
Noun
  • Estradiol transdermal patches, which deliver the estrogen hormone directly into the bloodstream, are used to ease menopause symptoms such as mood swings, hot flashes and sleep disturbances.
    — Sriparna Roy, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • As if a million white collar workers suddenly cried out in terror at once, a great disturbance in the AI force forced down every major AI chatbot service — a brief moment of reprieve from our AI empire overlords.
    — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 3 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
  • No objection was raised during the hearing concerning the manner in which the Court questioned the witness or conducted the proceedings.
    — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • For Sherman, the fact that a company that largely caters to women would use ALPR technology was particularly concerning.
    — Kara McGrath, Allure, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of concerning

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Cite this Entry

“Bothering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bothering. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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