both·er

[both-er]
verb (used with object)
1.
to give trouble to; annoy; pester; worry: His baby sister bothered him for candy.
2.
to bewilder; confuse: His inability to understand the joke bothered him.
verb (used without object)
3.
to take the trouble; trouble or inconvenience oneself: Don't bother to call. He has no time to bother with trifles.
noun
4.
something troublesome, burdensome, or annoying: Doing the laundry every week can be a terrible bother.
5.
effort, work, or worry: Gardening takes more bother than it's worth.
6.
a worried or perplexed state: Don't get into such a bother about small matters.
7.
someone or something that bothers or annoys: My cousin is a perpetual bother to me.
00:10
Bothered is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
interjection
8.
Chiefly British. (used to express mild irritation.)

Origin:
1710–20; orig. Hiberno-English; probably by hypercorrection from bodder, an alternate early form; origin obscure

un·both·ered, adjective
un·both·er·ing, adjective


1. harass, vex, irritate; molest, disturb. Bother, annoy, plague, tease imply persistent interference with one's comfort or peace of mind. Bother suggests causing trouble or weariness or repeatedly interrupting in the midst of pressing duties. To annoy is to vex or irritate by bothering. Plague is a strong word, connoting unremitting annoyance and harassment. To tease is to pester, as by long-continued whining and begging.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To bothered
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World English Dictionary
bother (ˈbɒðə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
1.  (tr) to give annoyance, pain, or trouble to; irritate: his bad leg is bothering him again
2.  (tr) to trouble (a person) by repeatedly disturbing; pester: stop bothering your father!
3.  (intr) to take the time or trouble; concern oneself: don't bother to come with me
4.  (tr) to make (a person) alarmed or confused: the thought of her husband's return clearly bothered her
 
n
5.  a state of worry, trouble, or confusion
6.  a person or thing that causes fuss, trouble, or annoyance
7.  informal a disturbance or fight; trouble (esp in the phrase a spot of bother)
 
interj
8.  chiefly (Brit) an exclamation of slight annoyance
 
[C18: perhaps from Irish Gaelic bodhar deaf, vexed; compare Irish Gaelic buairim I vex]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

bother
1718, probably from Anglo-Irish pother, since its earliest use was by Irish writers Sheridan, Swift, Sterne. Perhaps from Ir. bodhairim "I deafen." Related: Botheration (1797); bothersome (1834).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
The state university was offered the opportunity first but felt it was too
  important and couldn't be bothered.
Heart trouble bothered him, and he once found the little paint-pot almost too
  heavy to lift, but he never considered stopping.
He's here every night so don't even be bothered by that.
We all should be bothered by environmental contamination, no matter whom it
  affects, no matter why.
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