pestered 1 of 2

adjective

as in badgered

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Dissimilar Words

pestered

2 of 2

verb

past tense of pester
as in bothered
to thrust oneself upon (another) without invitation one resident pestered the condo board about every little thing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 pestered
Verb
Williams missed four games last year from a hamstring strain that pestered him throughout the season. — Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 5 Sep. 2025 Surely only Williams pestered the woman about it afterwards. — Joshua Kaplan, ProPublica, 4 Jan. 2025 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 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 Scheierman also hit two earlier threes, grabbed five rebounds and pestered Gilgeous-Alexander to force a third-quarter turnover to help Boston take down the defending NBA champions 119-109. — Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 26 Mar. 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pestered
  1. harassed
  2. bothered
  3. frustrated
  4. worried
  5. tortured
  6. annoyed
  7. harried
  8. tested
Adjective
  • Others were placed under house arrest, harassed or subject to extensive surveillance, or had their passports confiscated, according to prior NPR reporting and the findings of the United Nations and rights groups.
    — Emily Feng, NPR, 17 May 2026
  • For years, Christian clergy who live and work in Jerusalem have reported being frequently spat on, harassed and even physically attacked by Israeli extremists.
    — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 1 May 2026
Definition of harassed
Verb
  • Maybe Bill Plaschke would be aware of that, and give due credit, if his hometown major newspaper bothered to have a dedicated correspondent covering one of the city’s NBA teams.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
  • For all the breathless coverage devoted to celebrity engagements, weddings, and whirlwind divorces, some of Hollywood’s most enduring love stories involve couples who never bothered with the paperwork.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 1 July 2026
Definition of bothered
Adjective
  • Djokovic became so frustrated that he was given a code violation warning for smashing a racket, before eventually hauling himself over the line.
    — Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 5 July 2026
  • Keli Gonzalez, a painter the museum commissioned, became frustrated by the lack of female representation.
    — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Definition of frustrated
Verb
  • The officials said the US worried that Israel might assassinate Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Iranian parliamentary speaker who is leading negotiations with the US, or Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who has also been a public face of the talks.
    — Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
  • That was not enough for investors worried about free cash flow and Meta’s reliance on a narrow, economically sensitive revenue stream.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 3 July 2026
Definition of worried
Adjective
  • It’s held together beautifully by Bailey, who’s easy to root for as the tortured protagonist, and, as one half (along with her sister) of the musical duo Chloe x Halle, knows a thing or two about the musician’s plight.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 26 June 2026
  • Superman pops in for a couple of cute scenes along the way, while another DC side character, the alien and bounty hunter Lobo (Jason Momoa), appears as a tortured bit of universe-building.
    — David Sims, The Atlantic, 26 June 2026
Definition of tortured
Verb
  • Others are annoyed that its ambiguous language will create confusion over how — or if — the state will enforce compliance.
    — Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 27 June 2026
  • David goes on a tour of the past 250 years and is deeply annoyed by every facet of it.
    — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 26 June 2026
Definition of annoyed
Adjective
  • The confluence of those problems lead to a harried, chew-your-fingernails night for all the star players in this final season.
    — Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 2 July 2026
  • There appears to be some confusion about what roads near the Garden will or could be closed down for the Friday gathering — a situation made all the more harried by the proximity of Penn Station, ongoing FIFA World Cup tourism and seen-it-all NYC being NYC leaning into the July 4 shindig.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 24 June 2026
Definition of harried
Adjective
  • But summer back in New York, amid the fug of the city, requires a return to a tested and true formula.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 22 June 2025
  • The End Kidney Deaths Act finally offers a tested and reasonable solution.
    — Lindsay Gutierrez, Baltimore Sun, 13 May 2025
Definition of tested

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Cite this Entry

“Pestered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pestered. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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