pester

Meaning

Verb

1. To bother, harass, or annoy persistently.
2. (obsolete) To crowd together thickly.

Noun

A bother or nuisance.

Synonyms

bother

annoy

nag

trouble

harass

vex

worry

plague

tease

badger

🦡

importune

irritate

torment

bug

🐛

beg

hassle

exasperate

taunt

mock

disturb

afflict

beleaguer

buzz around

harry

circle around

urge

oppress

distress

bedevil

buttonhole

hound

pestering

hover

stick to

dun

fret

ail

get to

hanker

harm

harrow

hasten

haunt

heckle

impede

implore

incident

incite

incommode

inconvenience

infest

insist

irk

jostle

ken

molest

obsess

obstruct

obstructive

overcrowd

peevish

persecute

persuade

pick

⛏️

pluck

pother

prattle

press

pressure

problem

pull

push

rack

rankle

ruffle

scourge

solicit

supplicate

talkative

torture

wear out

settle on and cover

grate on

harrass

jar on

press for

prey on

put pressure on

demand money

be resistant

beseech repeately

take liberties with

stop

🛑

stick in someone’s craw

aggravate

agonize

annoying

attack

👊

bait

beseech

beset

blackguard

bore

bullyrag

burden

castigate

chasten

chastise

chatter

cling to

complain

complexify

conquer

crave

cry out

derange

devil

discommode

drive

eat

🍽️

encourage

encumber

entreat

excruciate

extort

ferret

finger

flay

garrulous

get on somebody’s nerves

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈpɛstə(ɹ)/

Etymology

In the senses of “overcrowd (a place)” and “impede (a person)”: from Middle French and Old French empestrer (“encumber”), influenced by English pest. The modern sense is an extension of the sense “infest”. Comparable to English construction pest + -er (used to form frequentative verbs).