1
as in annoyed
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
these incessant phone calls are really starting to bug me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bothered
to thrust oneself upon (another) without invitation
I hate to bug you, but could you help me move this table?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bugged
Banks has bugged Kerkering to clean his locker, to no avail.
—
Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Power gains are bugged to be too low for a new power grind that no one wants to do anyway.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
The characters muse about the extreme likelihood that their apartments have been bugged.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2025
Loktev makes her way into various apartments for commiserative gatherings and holiday celebrations — the midpoint of My Undesirable Friends is a delirious New Year’s party — where her hosts inevitably mention that their places are certainly bugged.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugged
Verb
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Luis is frankly annoyed by this type of music.—
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Vulnerability is currency on reality television, and after a season of exposing their own struggles and embarrassments, the other women are annoyed that Meredith wants to keep up appearances.—
Verb
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Hollywood CEOs aren’t getting hot and bothered about using AI to completely replace real-life movie stars; the guilds wouldn’t allow it, and audiences wouldn’t want it.—
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Burrow, who spoke with media after the Bengals lost 18-20 to the Cleveland Browns, seemed bothered by his 'do from the start, sitting down at the mic and instantly raking his lengthy bangs back with his hands.—
Verb
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The song, which reclaims a derogatory term for Venezuelan female migrants, was interpreted as defiant and irritated the Venezuelan president, then facing widespread reports of electoral fraud.—
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Other signs your skin is being irritated by a beauty product include redness or flaking.—
Verb
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In contrast, 72% of respondents worried about the United States becoming too involved in the South American country, USA TODAY reports.—
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In contrast, 72% of respondents worried about the United States becoming too involved in the South American country.—
Verb
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Open Doors is a global Christian charity supporting Christians persecuted for their faith.—
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Most commonly, people felt they were being persecuted via their electronics – that their Wi-Fi networks, computers or cellphones had been hacked or implanted with tracking devices.—
Cite this Entry
“Bugged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugged. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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