bothered 1 of 2

adjective

ˈbä-t͟hərd How to pronounce bothered (audio)
Definition of botherednext
as in annoyed
subjected to and reacting with irritation got all hot and bothered by his brother's constant unsolicited advice

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bothered

2 of 2

verb

past tense of bother
1
as in worried
to thrust oneself upon (another) without invitation I am never going to get this work done if people don't stop wandering into the room and bothering me

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2
as in irritated
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts it bothers me when obviously sick people go to movies and spend the whole time coughing and sneezing

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3
as in feared
to experience concern or anxiety just get the basic concept right and don't bother about the details

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4
as in alarmed
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy the boss's cryptic message about changes to the company bothered me

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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 bothered
Adjective
Luckily, the kids don't seem too bothered. — Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 14 Apr. 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
Verb
Right-handed reliever Joel Peguero (left hamstring strain) will be shut down for the rest of the year due to a recurring hamstring strain that’s bothered him since spring training. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2026 As someone who gets bothered by a restricting, clingy sweater, a drapey short-sleeve pick like this one from Anthropologie is a must in my wardrobe. — Anna Traver, InStyle, 22 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bothered
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bothered
  1. annoyed
  2. worried
  3. irritated
  4. alarmed
  5. upset
  6. disturbed
  7. bugged
  8. concerned
Adjective
  • Bad, fine, and stressed are obvious candidates, but your favorite might be overwhelmed, annoyed, or tired.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Economists and the commentariat, playing the role of the annoyed parent, point out that over-all employment has been strong for a while.
    — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 28 July 2026
Definition of annoyed
Verb
  • Longer-term yields on 10-year and 30-year Treasuries were mostly flat, suggesting investors aren’t worried that higher rates will be needed for a long stretch of time to fight inflation.
    — Christopher Rugaber, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Nvidia also said that Amazon Web Services would purchase 2 million of its graphic processors, offering an encouraging sign for investors worried that hyperscaler spending could shrink.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of worried
Verb
  • The comments irritated Ilicali, who took to social media in response.
    — Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • But the idea has irritated California’s billionaire class, and some have left the state in protest or threatened to do so.
    — Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 29 June 2026
Definition of irritated
Verb
  • California Forever has increasingly pitched the Solano Shipyard as part of a broader effort to rebuild the US maritime industry, a priority among both Democrats and Republicans alarmed over its decline.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The world’s most powerful economies are increasingly alarmed by their declining birthrates, and there’s no shortage of theories on why.
    — Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of alarmed
Adjective
  • Common signs that your dog may be sensitive to something in their food can include frequent scratching, paw licking, gas, loose stools, occasional digestive upset, or changes in coat quality.
    — Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The thinking is that orbital data centers can leapfrog past some of the ground-level issues such as where to build them, and upset communities that don’t want to host data centers, despite their municipalities making deals for construction.
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of upset
Verb
  • As a parent who has purchased my share of scary Halloween costumes, I was particularly disturbed by the controversy now engulfing Target.
    — Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2026
  • If disturbed, asbestos’ microscopic crystalline fibers get into the air, where they can be inhaled, cause lung scarring and lead to fatal cancers.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of disturbed
Verb
  • The indictment revealed that prosecutors had bugged the Aisenbergs' home for three months after Sabrina's disappearance.
    — Curran Rastogi, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, a law-enforcement agency known as NABU, had bugged Mindich’s apartment in Kyiv, and detectives picked up his conversations about Fire Point.
    — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
Definition of bugged
Verb
  • During a performance, Hankerson said he was concerned watching as his mom, who’s been performing for 75 years, fumbled through the set.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Some of that work instead has fallen on journalists, activists and others concerned that anyone with access to the company’s private camera networks can follow virtually any driver's movements with a query as effortless as a Google search.
    — Kenny Jacoby, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of concerned

Browse Nearby Words

botherations
bothered
bothering
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Cite this Entry

“Bothered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bothered. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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