bothered

adjective

both·​ered ˈbä-t͟hərd 

: feeling or showing agitation, worry, annoyance, etc.

Never had Johnny seen Rab so bothered about anything as he was over his inability to get himself a good modern gun.

—Esther Forbes

… insisted that there was really nothing to get all hot and bothered [=angrily upset] about.

—Peter Berkowitz

Synonyms of bothered

• annoyed
• irritated
• upset
• exasperated

Examples of bothered in a Sentence

got all hot and bothered by his brother's constant unsolicited advice

Recent Examples on the Web

For the first time in a minute, PTA doesn’t look too bothered to be explaining himself about this movie, perhaps because he’s finally got the hardware to back up a worthy film that dares to upset or even confound its audience. —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026

Winnipeg Jets, 25-26-10 Feb. 6: 28 Sean: 25 Dom: 25 The perfect deadline: Addition by subtraction Logan Stanley and Luke Schenn are the exact sort of player archetypes that get traditional contending GMs overly hot and bothered. —Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026

More than 60 million travelers pass through its airport each year, yet, historically, few bothered venturing into town unless on their way to a board meeting. —Diana Hubbell, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Feb. 2026

If the analytics don’t get you hot and bothered, though, don’t worry, because there are plenty more storylines headed into Sunday’s game. —Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 25 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of bother entry 1

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bothered

• grandfathered
• fathered