as in harassment
the act of making unwelcome intrusions upon another
the endless pestering finally drove me to study at the library
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in teasing
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in bothering
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
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Recent Examples of pestering
Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
In a game where the Stars smashed the Oilers, Hryckowian was pestering Edmonton players all night en route to drawing four penalties.
—R.j. Coyle, Dallas Morning News, 13 Mar. 2026
But this is now a 20-game stint of pestering Knicks defense — with no example better than during Sunday’s 25-point takedown of the San Antonio Spurs.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Every day the press corps descended on both teams with pestering questions, some of which were obvious plants to promote products.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
No kid brother tagging along, pestering him with questions, pushing up on his social circle.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 31 Dec. 2025
Hawke’s Hart holds serve in all of these scenes, motormouthing, pestering, insisting, utterly unable to help himself, sometimes in the most literal interpretation of the phrase.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, the ewe who gave birth to her won't go away or stop pestering these human usurpers.
—Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Alex Caruso was the ace in the hole, pestering and prodding Jokic to death in Game 7.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 10 Oct. 2025
Noun
There were almost no visible signs of this pestering affliction, which interfered with the rabbi’s sleep and therefore with his mental competence and his negotiation of daytime duties and professional matters.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Verb
Tiny eye-biting flies are swarming all over the San Gabriel Valley and pestering residents.
—Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
In a game where the Stars smashed the Oilers, Hryckowian was pestering Edmonton players all night en route to drawing four penalties.
—R.j. Coyle, Dallas Morning News, 13 Mar. 2026
But this is now a 20-game stint of pestering Knicks defense — with no example better than during Sunday’s 25-point takedown of the San Antonio Spurs.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Every day the press corps descended on both teams with pestering questions, some of which were obvious plants to promote products.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
No kid brother tagging along, pestering him with questions, pushing up on his social circle.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 31 Dec. 2025
Hawke’s Hart holds serve in all of these scenes, motormouthing, pestering, insisting, utterly unable to help himself, sometimes in the most literal interpretation of the phrase.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, the ewe who gave birth to her won't go away or stop pestering these human usurpers.
—Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Alex Caruso was the ace in the hole, pestering and prodding Jokic to death in Game 7.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pestering
Noun
-
Sports betting can tempt athletes to manipulate games or lead them to face harassment from gamblers upset with their performance.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
27 Apr. 2026
-
According to the court documents, Vasquez reported the mistreatment after Thanksgiving 2024, and in response, the harassment escalated.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Or when Reggie purposefully annoys Arthur by having his son, Carmelo (Jalyn Hall), practice with his a cappella group in Arthur’s editing suite, a move that demonstrates the increasingly teasing affection between Arthur and Reggie.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Yusei Kikuchi said throwing fastballs was bothering him again, so the Los Angeles Angels pitcher left Wednesday's 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Chicago White Sox after two innings with left shoulder tightness.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Please order Keegan to make a pre-bathroom coffee for both of us for one week and then stop bothering me about it.—
John Hodgman,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
His tics are not naughty mischief, but an uncontrollable action.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Paltrow has been savvy at selling herself as naughty and nice.—
Marisa Meltzer,
Vanity Fair,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
There’s an inherent troublemaking nature to him that can’t be repressed by the big Disney musical.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Scottish actor John Hannah was Evelyn’s troublemaking brother Jonathan.—
Andrew Walsh,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Vargas has been crafty on the base paths, recording five steals on five attempts.—
Data Skrive,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Feel free to try any creative, crafty endeavor such as jewelry making or air-dry clay building.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pestering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pestering. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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