1
as in annoyed
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
these incessant phone calls are really starting to bug me
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bothered
to thrust oneself upon (another) without invitation
I hate to bug you, but could you help me move this table?
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of bugged
Banks has bugged Kerkering to clean his locker, to no avail.
—
Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Power gains are bugged to be too low for a new power grind that no one wants to do anyway.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
The characters muse about the extreme likelihood that their apartments have been bugged.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2025
Loktev makes her way into various apartments for commiserative gatherings and holiday celebrations — the midpoint of My Undesirable Friends is a delirious New Year’s party — where her hosts inevitably mention that their places are certainly bugged.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2025
Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Power gains are bugged to be too low for a new power grind that no one wants to do anyway.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
The characters muse about the extreme likelihood that their apartments have been bugged.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2025
Loktev makes her way into various apartments for commiserative gatherings and holiday celebrations — the midpoint of My Undesirable Friends is a delirious New Year’s party — where her hosts inevitably mention that their places are certainly bugged.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugged
Verb
-
Luis is frankly annoyed by this type of music.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Vulnerability is currency on reality television, and after a season of exposing their own struggles and embarrassments, the other women are annoyed that Meredith wants to keep up appearances.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The cold never bothered them anyway.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Long stretches of solitude neither bothered him nor appeared to impair his sociability.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The song, which reclaims a derogatory term for Venezuelan female migrants, was interpreted as defiant and irritated the Venezuelan president, then facing widespread reports of electoral fraud.—
Leonor C. Suárez,
Rolling Stone,
4 Jan. 2026
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Other signs your skin is being irritated by a beauty product include redness or flaking.—
Olivia McIntosh,
Martha Stewart,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
But for the town of Telluride, business owners are worried the damage from the ski patrol strike may take longer to undo.—
Spencer Wilson,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
In viticulture, organic and biodynamic farming resonate with both today’s health and environmentally conscious drinkers and an ever-increasing number of winemakers worried about climate change.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Open Doors is a global Christian charity supporting Christians persecuted for their faith.—
Paul Tilsley,
FOXNews.com,
28 Dec. 2025
-
Most commonly, people felt they were being persecuted via their electronics – that their Wi-Fi networks, computers or cellphones had been hacked or implanted with tracking devices.—
Alaina Vandervoort Burns,
The Conversation,
17 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bugged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugged. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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