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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pestered
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
Verb
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pestered
Verb
-
The state party chairman responded that his letter was not aimed at any specific candidate, and that he was not bothered that most candidates did not heed his call to exit the race.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
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The Neo is a product that was once unthinkable from a company that spent years panning the idea of netbooks and never bothered to make a budget laptop of its own.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
When teachers became the complaint Several cases described teachers discussing their own political views on the latest Israel-Hamas war in ways that state investigators said foreseeably made Jewish students feel uncomfortable, harassed or targeted.—
Molly Gibbs,
Mercury News,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The Broncos beat up, bruised, harassed and downright punished Herbert from the start.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Many small business owners have been worried about having to file individual lawsuits to get their refunds because lawyers have suggested that might be the case.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Regardless of the user, neighbors worried about the impacts of any industrial development to the nearby neighborhoods, city infrastructure, utility bills and schools within miles of the site.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In the early 1930s, Weill made quite a splash with his Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny and Threepenny Opera, but their edgy social commentary and tart music annoyed the Nazis.—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The people in line behind me were annoyed, checking their watches and peering ahead trying to figure out what was taking so long.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Some employees on Tuesday also felt frustrated that some observers are portraying Anthropic as heroic despite previous years of work with the Pentagon and major defense contractor Palantir with little scrutiny.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
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The switch surprised and frustrated residents who stopped to vote during their work dayor between errands only to be redirected elsewhere — an outcome predicted by county officials and voting rights activists who feared the GOP’s arrangement would disenfranchise voters.—
Tracey McManus,
Dallas Morning News,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Look, credit where credit is due, the man is good at a tortured love confession!—
Christina Grace Tucker,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
-
During the show’s wildly popular first season, Robby was treated as a swaggering, tortured heartthrob by the viewers who turned this HBO Max original into an Emmy-winning success.—
Esther Zuckerman,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In Network, as a harried TV executive, Duvall is similarly roaring, spitting some great Paddy Chayefsky soliloquies with relish.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
16 Feb. 2026
-
O’Hara found her highest-profile role in Home Alone (1990), as a harried suburban mom who accidentally abandons her 8-year-old son.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
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 12 Mar. 2026.
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