pestered 1 of 2

adjective

as in badgered

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pestered

2 of 2

verb

past tense of pester
as in bothered
to thrust oneself upon (another) without invitation one resident pestered the condo board about every little thing

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 pestered
Verb
Players like Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Désiré Doué and more have simply pestered country after country, possessing the ball well and finding all types of angles to strike on goal. — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 13 July 2026 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
  1. harassed
  2. bothered
  3. frustrated
  4. worried
  5. tortured
  6. annoyed
  7. harried
  8. tested
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
  • 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
Definition of harassed
Verb
  • Whether you're bothered by perceiving the crease is entirely subjective, but Samsung added a dual-layered glass architecture to the inside display to reduce the visible crease by 20% on the Z Fold 8.
    — Florence Ion, PC Magazine, 23 July 2026
  • With an outdoor grill, full washer and dryer, and ensuite bathrooms for each bedroom, our party of six could have camped out for a full month–and never bothered to see a theme park.
    — Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure, 21 July 2026
Definition of bothered
Adjective
  • The first baseman, stepping in front of a small group of reporters Saturday in Boston, was asked for his message to frustrated fans.
    — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 27 July 2026
  • Crow-Armstrong was visibly frustrated taking strike 3 with runners on the corners.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026
Definition of frustrated
Verb
  • Another common source of opposition, identified in a 2021 feasibility study, came from community groups worried the cameras would be used to surveil and criminalize marginalized groups.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026
  • The 10-year Treasury yield climbed to its highest level since early last year as investors worried that higher energy prices could drive up overall inflation.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 24 July 2026
Definition of worried
Adjective
  • Natalie Portman famously saw a twisted version of herself in mirrors as part of her Oscar-winning performance as a tortured ballerina in Black Swan.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 17 July 2026
  • Rewatching it now, the series feels almost artisanal in its toughness, a time capsule from an era when TV detectives didn’t need tortured backstories or prestige-drama monologues to command the screen.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 July 2026
Definition of tortured
Verb
  • Club homeowners are not merely annoyed by tourist bonanzas like the World Cup — Airbnb is FIFA’s official lodging partner — or the Ultra music festival, Spring Break and Formula 1 weekend.
    — Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 16 July 2026
  • The equalising goal came in first-half stoppage time, with Norway coach Stale Solbakken visibly annoyed with referee Clement Turpin at the half-time interval.
    — Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 11 July 2026
Definition of annoyed
Adjective
  • The assignment’s seen as an intrusion into their harried lives.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 23 July 2026
  • The light provides a kind of neutrality, washing me from a monster back into a mother in a flash—just another harried woman who is running a little late.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
Definition of harried
Adjective
  • But summer back in New York, amid the fug of the city, requires a return to a tested and true formula.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 22 June 2025
  • The End Kidney Deaths Act finally offers a tested and reasonable solution.
    — Lindsay Gutierrez, Baltimore Sun, 13 May 2025
Definition of tested

Browse Nearby Words

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pestered
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Cite this Entry

“Pestered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pestered. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

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