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Bother vs. Disturb

Bother

/ˈbɒðə/

To cause someone to feel worried, anxious, or annoyed

Examples:

Something bothering you?"But the soil bothered him.To this amorous address Miss Brass briefly responded 'Bother!'

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Disturb

/dɪˈstɜːb/

To interrupt or upset someone or something

Examples:

"But too well, and that disturbs me.'I wonder,' I said, 'what the papers Ursula Bourne disturbed were?'Who is disturbing me?'

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Ways to tell them apart:

Bother often implies a minor irritation or nuisance whereas disturb usually suggests a more significant intrusion.
If something bothers you, it might annoy you but doesn't necessarily interrupt your activities; if something disturbs you, your actions can be halted by it.
Think of bother as a buzzing mosquito that annoys you, while disturb could be compared to a loud noise that wakes you from sleep.

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