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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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

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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
Once your child starts spilling the beans about what’s bothering them, be understanding. — Jenna Autuori-Dedic, Parents, 4 Aug. 2026 Hip still bothering Springs Springs lasted just four innings after issuing a season-high five walks, throwing 86 pitches — only 51% of them strikes — and gave up his 28th home run of the season, the most of any pitcher in the league. — Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 1 Aug. 2026 Sharks already frequent Southern California beaches, usually without bothering anyone. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026 Wasps are generally more interested in building their colony and finding food than in bothering people. — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 17 July 2026 But after going ahead, England manager Thomas Tuchel tried to shut the back door by throwing on countless defenders and not bothering to attack Argentina anymore. — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 15 July 2026 As early as 2010, TV stations noticed people were sending short videos shot vertically, making some wonder why people weren’t bothering to rotate their phones. — Hernan Lopez, Variety, 10 July 2026 The only thing missing was a set of drums, and a place to bang on them without bothering anyone. — Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 9 July 2026 Travis was snapped having a blast bothering Jason as the duo attended a match between Jupiter Links GC and The Bay Golf Club at SoFi Center on March 3. — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bothering
  1. harassment
  2. worrying
  3. bugging
  4. distracting
  5. disturbance
  6. annoying
  7. irritating
  8. concerning
Noun
  • Unlike the Tribune, none of the outlets Welch spoke with had interviewed the harassment victims, leaving Welch to present a largely one-sided account.
    — Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Uber has been overhauling its handling of assault and harassment claims against drivers after more attention was put on the issue.
    — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of harassment
Verb
  • And for a generation scarred by Covid, wars, and the risk of AI, now worrying over job prospects, demand for safety, security, and certainty may be at an all-time high.
    — Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • The same fans forced to move rows back — or even higher into the upper bowl — after years of never worrying about being priced out by the organization as Laney-Hamilton became Brooklyn’s first WNBA star.
    — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of worrying
Verb
  • The necessity of the trip at all is what's been bugging me.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 12 June 2026
  • His doctor had been bugging him for years to get a colonoscopy because of his age, but Driggers declined.
    — The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2026
Definition of bugging
Verb
  • Going back and forth from one home to the other home each week can be upsetting or distracting, causing distress.
    — Patricia Fersch, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The Strip provided distracting saturations of red-white-and-blue.
    — Paige Williams, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of distracting
Noun
  • Not getting enough sleep, not being able to get to sleep and waking up during the night are all signs of sleep disturbances.
    — Doreen Samelson, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • What begins as relatively weak shear disturbances can quickly evolve into major waves and vortices.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of disturbance
Verb
  • 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
  • The Manchester City star is fully back to his 2024 Ballon d’Or-winning self, marshaling the middle, providing amazing connection between the front and back and even annoying the French players with some gamesmanship near the end.
    — Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
Definition of annoying
Verb
  • Unfortunately, many parachute nylon sand-proof beach towels have a flat, rough texture that some consumers find uncomfortable or irritating.
    — BestReviews, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Aspell, the deputy executive officer, acknowledged that the lung-irritating chemical continues to be a concern.
    — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of irritating
Verb
  • In Alaska, despite commonly being household pets, dogs are listed as the state's most concerning animal.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The strikeout dip is both concerning and real, but there also isn’t a smoking gun in the underlying metrics, an alarming velocity dip or a breaking ball that just doesn’t have the same snap.
    — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 2 Aug. 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 11 Aug. 2026.

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