| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | tease, annoy |
| Synonyms: | aggravate, badger, bait, bedevil, bother, examine, gnaw, goad, harass, hector, irk, irritate, nag, nettle, pester, plague, prick, prod, provoke, question, quiz, ride*, rile, ruffle, spur, sting, taunt, tweak*, worry |
| Antonyms: | praise |
| Main Entry: | annoy |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | irritate, upset |
| Synonyms: | T-off, abrade, agitate, ask for it, badger, be at, be on the back of, bedevil, beleaguer, bore, bother, break, bug, burn up, chafe, displease, distress, disturb, egg on, exasperate, fire up, gall, get, gnaw, harass, harry, heat up, henpeck, hit where one lives, irk, madden, make waves, miff, nag, needle, nettle, nudge, peeve, perturb, pester, plague, provoke, push button, ride, rile, ruffle, tease, tick off, trouble, turn off, vex, work on, worry |
| Antonyms: | aid, gratify, make happy, please, soothe |
| Main Entry: | ask |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | question |
| Synonyms: | buzz*, canvass, catechize, challenge, cross-examine, demand, direct, enjoin, examine, give the third degree, go over, grill, hit*, hunt for, inquire, institute, interrogate, investigate, needle, pick one's brains, pop the question, pry into, pump, put the screws to, put through the wringer, query, quiz, request, roast, sweat* |
| Antonyms: | answer, claim, command, insist, reply, repudiate, tell |
| Main Entry: | badger |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | nag, bother |
| Synonyms: | annoy, bait, bug, bully, eat*, give the business, goad, harass, harry, hassle, heckle, hound, importune, insist on, needle, nudge, pester, plague, ride, tease, torment, work on |
| Main Entry: | bother |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | harass, annoy; give trouble |
| Synonyms: | afflict, aggravate, agitate, alarm, badger, bedevil, bore, browbeat, carp at, concern, cross, discommode, disconcert, disgust, dismay, displease, disquiet, distress, disturb, eat, embarrass, exacerbate, exasperate, goad, grate on, grieve, harry, hinder, hurt, impede, inconvenience, insult, intrude upon, irk, irritate, molest, nag, needle, nudge, pain, perplex, perturb, pester, pick on, plague, provoke, pursue, put out, ride, scare, spite, tantalize, taunt, tease, torment, trouble, upset, vex, worry |
| Antonyms: | aid, help, please |
| Main Entry: | bug |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | bother, disturb |
| Synonyms: | abrade, annoy, badger, chafe, gall, get on someone, harass, irk, irritate, needle, nettle, pester, plague, provoke, vex |
| Notes: | a bug is a particular kind of insect, specifically belonging to the order Hemiptera (tough leathery forewings attached to the body - like ladybugs, beetles) while insects generally belong to the class Insecta, which have bodies in three segments, usually two pairs or wings and three pairs of legs (like bees, mosquitoes); spiders are not technically insects because they have four pairs of legs insect (from Latin animal insectum) literally meant 'divided animal' or 'cut up or into' from the segments of its body (head, thorax, abdomen) - the common word being 'bug'; insect is any of an extremely large group of small invertebrate animals - and most undergo metamorphosis while bug denotes a special group of insects with beaklike sucking mouth parts and partly membranous forewings |
| Antonyms: | not bother |
| Main Entry: | dilute |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make thinner; weaken |
| Synonyms: | adulterate, alter, attenuate, cook, cut, decrease, deliquesce, diffuse, diminish, doctor up, doctor*, irrigate, lace, lessen, liquefy, mitigate, mix, moderate, modify, needle, phony up, plant, qualify, reduce, shave, spike, temper, water, water down |
| Antonyms: | concentrate, strengthen, thicken |
| 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 |
| Main Entry: | enrage |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | make very upset |
| Synonyms: | T-off, aggravate, anger, ask for it, exasperate, get under skin, hack*, incense, incite, inflame, infuriate, ire, irritate, madden, make blood boil, make see red, needle, provoke, rile, steam up, umbrage, whip up |
| Antonyms: | appease, calm, compose, pacify, placate, please, soothe |