as in badgered
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Dissimilar Words
as in bothered
to thrust oneself upon (another) without invitation
one resident pestered the condo board about every little thing
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Recent Examples of pestered
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
My own parents met coming out of a movie theater in New Britain when my less than suave Coast Guard father pestered my mother for a date.
—Jody Mamone, Hartford Courant, 11 Feb. 2026
But with a game against powerhouse Massillon on the horizon, Mike pestered coach Gerry Rardin for weeks.
—Chad Graff, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Rori Harmon and Jordan Lee led a defense that persistently pestered Gators guard Liv McGill, who entered the game as the SEC's second-leading scorer, in a 6-for-16 shooting performance that included nine of Florida's 21 turnovers.
—Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 29 Jan. 2026
Charles, who is a big fan of the Ravens, pestered Kelce for much of that visit about the Chiefs’ 17-10 win in the AFC Championship Game in 2024 in Baltimore.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2025
Williams missed four games last year from a hamstring strain that pestered him throughout the season.
—Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 5 Sep. 2025
Surely only Williams pestered the woman about it afterwards.
—Joshua Kaplan, ProPublica, 4 Jan. 2025
Verb
Scheierman also hit two earlier threes, grabbed five rebounds and pestered Gilgeous-Alexander to force a third-quarter turnover to help Boston take down the defending NBA champions 119-109.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
My own parents met coming out of a movie theater in New Britain when my less than suave Coast Guard father pestered my mother for a date.
—Jody Mamone, Hartford Courant, 11 Feb. 2026
But with a game against powerhouse Massillon on the horizon, Mike pestered coach Gerry Rardin for weeks.
—Chad Graff, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Rori Harmon and Jordan Lee led a defense that persistently pestered Gators guard Liv McGill, who entered the game as the SEC's second-leading scorer, in a 6-for-16 shooting performance that included nine of Florida's 21 turnovers.
—Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 29 Jan. 2026
Charles, who is a big fan of the Ravens, pestered Kelce for much of that visit about the Chiefs’ 17-10 win in the AFC Championship Game in 2024 in Baltimore.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2025
Williams missed four games last year from a hamstring strain that pestered him throughout the season.
—Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 5 Sep. 2025
Surely only Williams pestered the woman about it afterwards.
—Joshua Kaplan, ProPublica, 4 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pestered
Verb
-
Even as Dylan maneuvers weightier situations like romantic rejection, or the uncertainty of a new leadership position, or feeling bothered that a promising student decides to turn her back on poetry, the actress brings a sense of humanity while embracing her character’s flaws.—
Candice Frederick,
HollywoodReporter,
1 June 2026
-
Gilgeous-Alexander, smothered and bothered, was a minus-13 in the period.—
William Guillory,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
Others were placed under house arrest, harassed or subject to extensive surveillance, or had their passports confiscated, according to prior NPR reporting and the findings of the United Nations and rights groups.—
Emily Feng,
NPR,
17 May 2026
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For years, Christian clergy who live and work in Jerusalem have reported being frequently spat on, harassed and even physically attacked by Israeli extremists.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Labor interests, in particular, worried that a private Pinnacol would end up raising rates and leaving high-risk industries, such as construction, unable to afford workers’ comp insurance.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
-
But those lot rents have slowly increased across the state and have priced out some retirees, leaving Good Samaritan residents worried the change in ownership may push them out too.—
Natalia Jaramillo,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Ever been annoyed after Windows setup that your user folder has a weird name?—
Jon Martindale,
PC Magazine,
28 May 2026
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When people get their interest rate wrong, they get annoyed.—
Sam Sammane,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Adjective
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Dozens of families who survived a fire at a condominium complex in North Attleboro, Massachusetts are frustrated they still haven't been allowed to see their homes three weeks after the fire.—
Tammy Mutasa,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
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Jacob Rodriguez was so frustrated by his inability to pull down a pass from a coach during a drill designed to sharpen the linebacker unit’s instincts and hands, the rookie spiked the ball on the turf after bobbling it.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
3 June 2026
Adjective
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While staying faithful to the gothic tone and thrust of the story, the second book in the series once again turned the narrative in on itself by front-loading the perspective of chaos personified, Louis’ tortured and torturous lover, Lestat de Lioncourt.—
Alex Zalben,
IndieWire,
3 June 2026
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The track is bookended by audio of a woman who sells plasma to fund her shopping addiction, a parallel to Skeletrix’s depiction of his plight as a tortured artist.—
Olivier Lafontant,
Pitchfork,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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In the course of a single session, the harried Paula (played by Tatiana Maslany) gets a hot, younger guy to listen to her complain about her ex-husband, offer feedback on her home-decorating ideas, and coax her into a climax—all in a few short minutes.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
28 May 2026
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Screen time has become a default rather than an intentional choice for harried teachers and distracted students.—
Will Oremus,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2026
Adjective
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Projects will be judged on several criteria, including the project’s creativity and the use of tested and accurate AI.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Every batch of ice cream, even those with tested and confirmed recipes, requires a lot of tasting and adjusting.—
Maggie Hiufu Wong,
CNN Money,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pestered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pestered. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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