1
as in annoyed
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
these incessant phone calls are really starting to bug me
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bothered
to thrust oneself upon (another) without invitation
I hate to bug you, but could you help me move this table?
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of bugged
Upon arriving at big-league camp this spring, Rojas said the different grip initially bugged him.
—
Dan Hayes, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Three people told the Washington Examiner that Scott had become paranoid that Lewandowski was spying on him through his work phone and had bugged his office.
—Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 27 Mar. 2026
Underwood went on The Bachelor as a straight man, made a connection with Randolph, broke up with her, bugged her car, and then was hit with a restraining order.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
Instead, Ladinig says Pierre Haobsh bugged Henry Han's computer with a spyware app called a keylogger.
—Natalie Morales, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
The comings and goings of the many planes at the little field bugged the Marine Corps brass and rattled the hens at the chicken ranch that was once right about where Cold War-era bowlers would one day rattle the pins at Frontier Lanes.
—Eric Duvall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Carol Meeting Manousos Doesn’t Go As Planned The meeting between the two immediately sparks conflict, with Manousos unwilling to step into Carol’s home or use the translate feature on her phone, suspicious that everything has been bugged.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 30 Dec. 2025
The characters muse about the extreme likelihood that their apartments have been bugged.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2025
Dan Hayes, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Three people told the Washington Examiner that Scott had become paranoid that Lewandowski was spying on him through his work phone and had bugged his office.
—Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 27 Mar. 2026
Underwood went on The Bachelor as a straight man, made a connection with Randolph, broke up with her, bugged her car, and then was hit with a restraining order.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
Instead, Ladinig says Pierre Haobsh bugged Henry Han's computer with a spyware app called a keylogger.
—Natalie Morales, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
The comings and goings of the many planes at the little field bugged the Marine Corps brass and rattled the hens at the chicken ranch that was once right about where Cold War-era bowlers would one day rattle the pins at Frontier Lanes.
—Eric Duvall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Carol Meeting Manousos Doesn’t Go As Planned The meeting between the two immediately sparks conflict, with Manousos unwilling to step into Carol’s home or use the translate feature on her phone, suspicious that everything has been bugged.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 30 Dec. 2025
The characters muse about the extreme likelihood that their apartments have been bugged.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugged
Verb
-
To Henry, this would have been for the greater good of English football, but the reaction was again one of anger and Henry was annoyed that the idea was killed off.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
-
As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the president doesn’t get annoyed with him once or twice.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Vedder Cup is a tongue-in-cheek attempt to pair the Padres and Mariners as rivals despite the two teams not having much reason to get all hot and bothered about a series.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 May 2026
-
He has since been elected to the state Senate twice, in one of Iowa’s bluest areas; both times, no Republican bothered to run.—
Amy Davidson Sorkin,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Some highbrow writers had a right to be irritated by the concept of chick lit, though that wasn’t the fault of chick lit authors themselves.—
Hillary Busis,
Vanity Fair,
4 May 2026
-
His last-minute, mixmaster approach to closing out the transit negotiations irritated several participants, but the end result was a fiscally responsible and transformative restructuring of mass transit in northern Illinois.—
David Greising,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Still, Davies is worried the demand for compute far outstrips capabilities to repurpose waste heat, and could lead to more data center construction that would further burden environmental capacity versus extend it.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
15 May 2026
-
Those earlier polls left some Democratic Party leaders worried that Democrats might get shut out entirely from the general election.—
Linh Tat,
Oc Register,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
My parents were supporters of the anti-apartheid movement and various family members were persecuted for being so also.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
-
When hunted, poisoned, and persecuted, the coyotes scattered and regrouped, their numbers surging a hundred-fold.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bugged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugged. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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