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
His work is autobiographical and based on whatever has been bothering him that year. — Anthony Solorzano, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 For example, companies that benefit from customers not bothering to cancel subscriptions, compare prices, or search for better deals have taken a beating in recent weeks. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026 Lowe said a white shark nursery reappeared for the first time since 2011 in Santa Monica Bay, where juveniles frolic without bothering humans. — Daniel Trotta, Arkansas Online, 9 Oct. 2026 If neck pain keeps coming back or the lines bothering you keep getting deeper, talk with a doctor or dermatologist instead of relying on a gadget alone. — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 8 Oct. 2026 Heat, gentle pressure and rhythmic massage can simply feel good, whether your neck is bothering you or not. — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bothering
  1. harassment
  2. worrying
  3. bugging
  4. distracting
  5. disturbance
  6. pestering
  7. annoying
  8. concerning
Noun
  • In the lawsuit, the family also claimed that an Oaks Christian School teacher accused their son of lying about the harassment after a student called him a racial epithet inside a classroom.
    — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Members of parliament received in-depth security briefings in Canberra on Wednesday as the Australian Federal Police (AFP) commissioner pointed to rising reports of harassment and threats against federal parliamentarians.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of harassment
Verb
  • Ready to take on Halloween, Thanksgiving, and a December full of holiday parties without worrying if your wardrobe will still fit in 2027?
    — Patricia Neligan, AJC.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Another theory is that with the fall harvest nearly complete, now is a relatively safe time to deport farmworkers in the countryside without immediately worrying about empty shelves in supermarkets, Mejia said.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of worrying
Verb
  • On Monday, a court granted the US government’s request to deny release of a former OpenAI engineer accused of bugging a top-secret conference room to steal the frontier lab’s secrets.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
  • However, in-flight cabin etiquette is only one part of what’s bugging travelers this summer.
    — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of bugging
Verb
  • As a result, your mind is always searching for the next project to tackle or problem to solve, distracting you while hanging out with family or keeping you from sleeping.
    — Melody Wilding, Contributor, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The compelling series achieves a provocative dissection of it all with rare confidence without the overindulgence of distracting CGI tossed in for sheer spectacle.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of distracting
Noun
  • The vote, which is veto-proof, was met with praise by animal rights groups and park advocates who have long called for the ban citing several incidents where horses crashed or caused disturbances.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • There’s also a second disturbance several hundred miles east-southeast of Bermuda that could develop through Friday while moving north-northeast, the hurricane center advisory said.
    — Robin Webb, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of disturbance
Verb
  • Andrew Dismukes as Sam-I-Am is pestering the unnamed breakfast hater (Mikey Day).
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Children became the sales force, pestering their parents for the latest product.
    — Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of pestering
Verb
  • That unexpected fandom has grown over the past two years, with unlikely converts taking to the internet’s alleyways to spread the good word—and, in the process, annoying the doubters.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Kids in all three countries loved learning dances from TikTok and annoying their siblings.
    — Ryan Lenora Brown, Christian Science Monitor, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of annoying
Verb
  • Even for the game’s best kickers, misses happen from time to time, but the concerning part for the Chiefs is that the funk has become a trend.
    — Pete Sweeney October 26, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Chris Brown will avoid prison time, for now, in the London case concerning his assault of a music producer at a nightclub three years ago.
    — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 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 28 Oct. 2026.

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