1
as in annoys
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in irritates
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 worries
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 disturbs
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
1
as in stirs
a state of noisy, confused activity
the whole household was in a bother, as our overnight guests were expected to arrive any minute
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2
as in nuisances
one who is obnoxiously annoying
the woman next-door is such a bother—always dropping in at the most inopportune moments!
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in headaches
something that is a source of irritation
returning damaged goods is a real bother
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in frustrations
the feeling of impatience or anger caused by another's repeated disagreeable acts
never let his personal bothers interfere with his responsibilities at work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bothers
Jayson Buford, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025
Really, the accuracy is the one thing that bothers me with him.
—Mike Sando, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
That's what bothers me the most.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025
This bothers her for some reason.
—Anne Victoria Clark, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
That’s what bothers me about it.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025
Why ban books, Postman asked, if no one bothers to read them?
—Time, 10 Sep. 2025
If that bothers you, understood.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 6 Sep. 2025
In New York, there’s no worry; no one bothers us.
—Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
What about him specifically bothers you especially in terms of poisoning the youth?
—Jayson Buford, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025
Really, the accuracy is the one thing that bothers me with him.
—Mike Sando, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
That's what bothers me the most.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025
This bothers her for some reason.
—Anne Victoria Clark, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
That’s what bothers me about it.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2025
Why ban books, Postman asked, if no one bothers to read them?
—Time, 10 Sep. 2025
If that bothers you, understood.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 6 Sep. 2025
In New York, there’s no worry; no one bothers us.
—Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bothers
Verb
-
Ask yourself what annoys you specifically about that behavior, Davis says.—
NPR,
NPR,
28 Oct. 2025
-
There are days when my running annoys my wife, my children, or my colleagues.—
Nicholas Thompson,
The Atlantic,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
But Chelsea won’t have it, shutting the whole thing down in a way that clearly irritates her.—
Anne Victoria Clark,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The group exhausts and irritates opposing pitchers.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
For example, Mark Jaffe, who leads the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce, worries Mamdani’s proposals for city-run grocery stores would cut into business at bodegas.—
Ramishah Maruf,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
-
McKellar worries that kids who are afraid of math tend to grow into adults who avoid numbers.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Another possibility is that there is a relic magnetic field that exists between galaxies which remains from the early universe and disturbs low-energy gamma-rays.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The water is perfectly clear — until someone brushes the side of the cave or disturbs the soft bottom, sending fine silt particles billowing into the beam of a headlamp.—
Jennifer Walker,
CNN Money,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
An Orange County judge granted the city of Santa Ana’s request for a preliminary injunction against several businesses on East First Street accused of being public nuisances.—
Mona Darwish,
Oc Register,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The surfers, initially viewed by some as welcome curiosities and by others as nuisances, became harbingers of economic salvation through tourism, now the dominant industry, though still a relatively new one.—
David Amsden,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Aldo Olivieri, il Gatto Magico (the Magic Cat), who had survived a fractured skull that required drilling to save his life and left him with chronic headaches, became the first-choice goalkeeper.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
But the holiday headaches might get much worse as the government shutdown causes flight reductions at major airports.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Mamdani’s agenda—rent freezes, universal childcare, free public transit—echoes the frustrations of a city where affordability and dignity have become luxuries.—
Newsweek Contributors,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Designers are focusing on solving the real frustrations travelers face in airports, train stations and hotel rooms.—
Sal Vaglica,
USA Today,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
So, excited headlines about a blossoming romance between them certainly creates a narrative that distracts from all the negative news each has grappled with recently.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
29 Oct. 2025
-
The constantly shifting allegiances are meant to form a twisty yarn in the aggregate, though the effect is largely just confusing — especially when Helen gets a subplot investigating her own past that distracts from her role as the chilly, withholding boss.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bothers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bothers. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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