Bother — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun /ˈbä-t͟hər/ both·er

Meaning & Definition of Bother

Bother (verb)

  1. to annoy especially by petty provocation, irk
  2. to intrude upon, pester
  3. to cause to be somewhat anxious or concerned —often used interjectionally

Bother (noun)

  1. a state of petty discomfort, annoyance, or worry
  2. something that causes petty annoyance or worry
  3. fuss, inconvenience

Bother (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. 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"

    similar: bug, chivy, disturb, intrude (upon), pester
    related: inconvenience, trouble, aggravate, annoy, bedevil, chafe, devil, dog, dun, exasperate, fret, gall, get, gnaw, grate, hassle, irk, irritate, nettle, peeve, persecute, pique, put out, rankle, rasp, rile, roil, torment, vex, worry, beleaguer, beset, besiege, distress, plague, afflict, harass, provoke, anger, antagonize, enrage, incense, inflame, infuriate, madden, outrage, agitate, perturb, butt in, cut in (on), obtrude, encroach, infringe, invade, trespass
    near: disregard, forget, ignore, leave, slight, appease, conciliate, disarm, mollify, oblige, placate, delight, gladden, gratify, please, satisfy, comfort, console, content

  2. 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"

    similar: aggravate, annoy, bug, burn (up), chafe, eat, exasperate, frost, gall, get, grate, gripe, hack (off), irk, irritate, itch, nark (British), nettle, peeve, persecute, pique, put out, rasp, rile, ruffle, spite, vex, get one's goat, get on one's nerves, get to, rub the wrong way, set one's teeth on edge, stick in one's craw, wear on
    related: hassle, heckle, nag, inflame, provoke, rouse, badger, bait, bullyrag, devil, hagride, harass, harry, pester, plague, tease, anger, antagonize, enrage, incense, infuriate, madden, rankle, roil, agitate, discomfort, discompose, disquiet, distress, exercise, freak (out), fret, perturb, undo, unhinge, unsettle, upset, worry, affront, insult, miff, offend, outrage
    near: appease, conciliate, mollify, oblige, pacify, placate, propitiate, delight, gladden, gratify, please, satisfy, assure, cheer, comfort, console, content, quiet, reassure, solace, soothe

  3. to experience concern or anxiety

    "just get the basic concept right and don't bother about the details"

    similar: fear, fret, fuss, stew, stress, sweat, trouble, worry, give a hang, sweat blood
    related: agonize, long, pine, yearn, chafe, despair
    near: accept, abide, bear, endure, stick out, stomach, sustain, take, tolerate

  4. to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy

    "the boss's cryptic message about changes to the company bothered me"

    similar: agitate, ail, alarm, concern, derail, discomfort, discompose, dismay, disquiet, distemper, distract, distress, disturb, exercise, flurry, frazzle, freak (out), fuss, hagride, perturb, undo, unhinge, unsettle, upset, weird out, worry
    related: aggravate, anger, annoy, bug, chafe, chivy, exasperate, fret, gall, get, grate, harass, harry, irk, irritate, nettle, peeve, pester, pique, put off, put out, rile, vex, bedevil, haunt, plague, abash, confound, confuse, discomfit, disconcert, discountenance, embarrass, faze, fluster, jar, mortify, nonplus, rattle, shake up, daunt, demoralize, discourage, dishearten, dispirit, unnerve
    opposite: calm, compose, quiet, settle, soothe, tranquilize
    near: allay, alleviate, assuage, appease, conciliate, mollify, pacify, placate, propitiate

Bother (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a state of noisy, confused activity

    "the whole household was in a bother, as our overnight guests were expected to arrive any minute"

    similar: ado, alarums and excursions, ballyhoo, blather, bluster, bobbery, bustle, clatter, clutter (chiefly dialect), coil, commotion, disturbance, do (chiefly dialect), foofaraw, fun, furor, furore, fuss, helter-skelter, hoo-ha, hoopla, hubble-bubble, hubbub, hullabaloo, hurly, hurly-burly, hurricane, hurry, hurry-scurry, kerfuffle (chiefly British), moil, pandemonium, pother, row, ruckus, ruction, rumpus, shindy, splore (Scottish), squall, stew, stir, storm, to-do, tumult, turmoil, uproar, welter, whirl, williwaw, zoo
    related: cacophony, clamor, din, howl, hue and cry, noise, outcry, racket, roar, disorder, unrest, upheaval, eruption, flare-up, flurry, flutter, outbreak, outburst, brawl, fracas, fray, hassle, melee, scuffle, dither, fever, fret, lather, tizzy
    near: calm, hush, peace, quiet, quietude, rest, stillness, tranquility, order, orderliness

  2. one who is obnoxiously annoying

    "the woman next-door is such a bother—always dropping in at the most inopportune moments!"

    similar: annoyance, annoyer, gadfly, gnawer, nudnik, nuisance, pain, persecutor, pest, tease, teaser, pain in the neck
    related: headache, harrier, heckler, interrupter, hassle, plague, harasser, molester, tormentor, torturer
    near: charmer, smoothy, comforter, solacer, soother

  3. something that is a source of irritation

    "returning damaged goods is a real bother"

    similar: aggravation, aggro (British), annoyance, botheration, bugbear, exasperation, frustration, hair shirt, hassle, headache, inconvenience, irk, irritant, nuisance, peeve, pest, rub, ruffle, thorn, trial, vexation
    related: discomfort, fleabite, pinprick, affront, insult, offense, upset, worry, affliction, albatross, burden, cross, curse, menace, millstone, plague, sore, anxiety, plight, predicament, tribulation, trouble, hang-up, pet peeve, problem, annoyer, disturber, harasser, mischief, offender, pandora's box
    near: delight, joy, pleasure

  4. the feeling of impatience or anger caused by another's repeated disagreeable acts

    "never let his personal bothers interfere with his responsibilities at work"

    similar: aggravation, aggro (British), annoyance, botheration, exasperation, frustration, grief, irritation, pip (chiefly British), vexation
    related: agitation, discomfort, displeasure, distress, disturbance, upset, irritability, irritableness, peeve, perturbation, pet, pique, resentment, snappishness, trouble, anger, angriness, chafe, dander, dudgeon, gall, huff, indignation, irateness, ire, outrage, umbrage
    near: delight, pleasure

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Bother

The most common words with a similar meaning to Bother:

British: nark, aggro
Chiefly dialect: clutter, do
Chiefly British: kerfuffle, pip
Scottish: splore
bug, chivy, disturb, intrude (upon), pester, aggravate, annoy, burn (up), chafe, eat, exasperate, frost, gall, get, grate, gripe, hack (off), irk, irritate, itch, nettle, peeve, persecute, pique, put out, rasp, rile, ruffle, spite, vex, fear, fret, fuss, stew, stress, sweat, trouble, worry, agitate, ail

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Bother

Words with the opposite meaning of Bother:

calm, compose, quiet, settle, soothe, tranquilize

Related Words for Bother

bedevil, devil, dog, dun, gnaw, rankle, roil, torment, beleaguer, beset, besiege, plague, afflict, harass, provoke, anger, antagonize, enrage, incense, inflame, infuriate, madden, outrage, butt in, cut in (on), obtrude, encroach, infringe, invade, trespass

Near Antonyms of Bother

disregard, forget, ignore, leave, slight, appease, conciliate, disarm, mollify, oblige, placate, delight, gladden, gratify, please, satisfy, comfort, console, content, pacify, propitiate, assure, cheer, reassure, solace, accept, abide, bear, endure, stick out

Word Forms of Bother

Inflections: bothered, bothering

Origin & Etymology of Bother

of obscure origin

First known use: circa 1745t

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Bother

Words & Phrases Containing Bother

why bother, save someone the trouble/bother

Frequently Asked Questions about Bother

What does "Bother" mean?

"Bother" means to annoy especially by petty provocation, irk. As an a verb and a noun, it is defined as: to annoy especially by petty provocation, irk. It has 8 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Bother"?

Other words for "Bother" include bug, chivy, disturb, intrude (upon), pester, aggravate, annoy and burn (up). The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Bother" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Bother"?

There are 289 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Bother". Common alternatives include bug, chivy, disturb, intrude (upon), pester, aggravate, annoy, burn (up), chafe and eat.

What is the opposite of "Bother"?

Antonyms of "Bother" include calm, compose, quiet, settle, soothe and tranquilize. Near antonyms include disregard, forget, ignore and leave.

How do you use "Bother" in a sentence?

Examples of "Bother" in a sentence: "I am never going to get this work done if people don't stop wandering into the room and bothering me"; "it bothers me when obviously sick people go to movies and spend the whole time coughing and sneezing"; "just get the basic concept right and don't bother about the details".

Is "Bother" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Bother" can be used as a verb and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Bother" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "Bother" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+.

How do you pronounce "Bother"?

"Bother" is pronounced /ˈbä-t͟hər/ and divided into syllables as both·er.