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give hard time
| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | annoy |
| Synonyms: | be at, be on the back of, bother, bug, bum*, dog, drive up the wall, exasperate, gall, get, get on one's nerves, get to, give a hard time, grate, hack, irk, irritate, nag, needle, nettle, peeve, pester, pick on, pique, provoke, tease, vex, wig |
| Notes: | to aggravate is to make something worse, while to exacerbate is to increase something's bitterness or harshness aggravate means 'to add to' an already troublesome or vexing matter or condition while irritate means 'to vex, annoy, or chafe' irritate means 'inflame' (originally 'excite, rouse'); aggravate means 'worsen' |
| Antonyms: | appease, gladden, make happy, mollify, soften |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | chide |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | criticize, lecture |
| Synonyms: | admonish, berate, blame, call down, call on the carpet, castigate, censure, check, condemn, exprobate, find fault, flay, give a hard time, lesson, monish, rate, rebuke, reprehend, reprimand, reproach, reprove, scold, slap on the wrist, speak to, take down a peg, take down, talk to, tell off, tick off, upbraid |
| Antonyms: | compliment, laud, praise |
| Main Entry: | distress |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | worry, upset |
| Synonyms: | afflict, aggrieve, agonize, ail, be on one's case, bother, break, bug, burn up, depress, desolate, discombobulate, disquiet, disturb, do a number on, dog*, eat*, get to, get*, give a hard time, grieve, harass, harry, hound, hurt, injure, irk, irritate, make it tough for, miff, nag, needle, nit-pick, oppress, pain, peeve, perplex, pester, pick on, plague, push, push buttons, rack, sadden, strain, strap, stress, tick off, torment, torture, trouble, try, vex, weigh, wound |
| Antonyms: | assist, calm, comfort, help, soothe |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | embarrass |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | cause mental discomfort |
| Synonyms: | abash, agitate, annoy, bewilder, bother, bug, catch one short, chagrin, confuse, discombobulate, discomfit, discompose, disconcert, discountenance, distract, distress, disturb, dumbfound, faze, fluster, give a bad time, give a hard time, hang up, irk, let down*, make a monkey of, mortify, nonplus, perplex, perturb, plague, put in a hole, put in a spot, put on the spot, put out of countenance, puzzle, rattle, shame, show up, stun, tease, throw, throw into a tizzy, upset |
| Antonyms: | comfort, gladden, help, please |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | harass |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | badger |
| Synonyms: | annoy, attack, bait, bedevil, beleaguer, bother, bug*, bullyrag, burn*, despoil, devil*, distress, disturb, eat*, exasperate, exhaust, fatigue, foray, get to, give a bad time, give a hard time, gnaw, harry, hassle, heckle, hound, intimidate, irk, irritate, jerk around, macerate, maraud, noodge, pain*, perplex, persecute, pester, plague, raid, rattle one's cage, ride, strain, stress, tease, tire, torment, trouble, try, vex, weary, work on, worry |
| Antonyms: | aid, assist, facilitate, help, support |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | henpeck |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | nag |
| Synonyms: | badger, berate, bother, bug*, bully, carp, fuss, give a hard time, harass, hector, hound, intimidate, irritate, needle, pester, pick on, ride, scold, torment |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | inconvenience |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | bother, trouble |
| Synonyms: | aggravate, discombobulate, discommode, discompose, disoblige, disrupt, disturb, exasperate, give a hard time, give trouble, hang up, interfere, irk, make it tough, meddle, put in a spot, put on the spot, put to trouble, try, upset |
| Antonyms: | aid, assist, be convenient, benefit, help |
| Main Entry: | irk |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | aggravate; rub the wrong way |
| Synonyms: | abrade, annoy, bother, bug*, discommode, disturb, eat*, fret, gall, get on nerves, get to, give a hard time, harass, incommode, inconvenience, irritate, make waves, miff, nettle, peeve, provoke, put out, rasp, rile, ruffle, trouble, vex |
| Antonyms: | delight, please |
* = informal/non-formal usage
| Main Entry: | kid around |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | tease |
| Synonyms: | annoy, badger, bait, banter, bother, chaff, disturb, dog*, fool around, give a hard time, goad, harass, josh, lead on, mock, needle, nudge, pester, pick on, rag, razz, rib, ride, ridicule, roast, taunt |
* = informal/non-formal usage
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
