Pestering

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Pester \Pes"ter\ (p[e^]s"t[~e]r), v. t. [imp. & p. p.
     {Pestered}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Pestering}.] [Abbrev. fr.
     impester, fr. OF. empaistrier, empestrer, to entangle the
     feet or legs, to embarrass, F. emp[^e]trer; pref. em-, en-
     (L. in in) + LL. pastorium, pastoria, a fetter by which
     horses are prevented from wandering in the pastures, fr. L.


     pastorius belonging to a herdsman or shepherd, pastor a
     herdsman. See {In}, and {Pasture}, {Pastor}.]
     1. To trouble; to disturb; to annoy; to harass with petty
        vexations.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              We are pestered with mice and rats.   --Dr. H. More.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              A multitude of scribblers daily pester the world.
                                                    --Dryden.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To crowd together in an annoying way; to overcrowd; to
        infest. [Obs.] --Milton.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              All rivers and pools . . . pestered full with
              fishes.                               --Holland.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  pestering
       adj : causing irritation or annoyance; "tapping an annoying rhythm
             on his glass with his fork"; "aircraft noise is
             particularly bothersome near the airport"; "found it
             galling to have to ask permission"; "an irritating
             delay"; "nettlesome paperwork"; "a pesky mosquito";
             "swarms of pestering gnats"; "a plaguey newfangled
             safety catch"; "a teasing and persistent thought
             annoyed him"; "a vexatious child"; "it is vexing to
             have to admit you are wrong" [syn: {annoying}, {bothersome},
              {galling}, {irritating}, {nettlesome}, {pesky}, {pestiferous},
              {plaguy}, {plaguey}, {teasing}, {vexatious}, {vexing}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  90 Moby Thesaurus words for "pestering":
     adverse criticism, aggravating, animadversion, annoying, aspersion,
     bad notices, bad press, blandishment, bothering, bothersome,
     buttonholing, cajolement, cajolery, cajoling, captiousness,
     carping, cavil, caviling, censoriousness, coaxing, criticism,
     demanding, disturbing, dunning, exasperating, exception,
     faultfinding, flak, galling, hairsplitting, harassing, hit,
     home thrust, hostile criticism, hypercriticalness, hypercriticism,
     importunate, importunateness, importune, importunity, imputation,
     insistent, irking, irksome, irritating, knock, nagging, niggle,
     niggling, nit, nit-picking, obloquy, overcriticalness, pesky,
     pestiferous, pestilent, pestilential, pettifogging, plaguesome,
     plaguey, plaguing, plying, pressing, pressure, priggishness,
     provoking, quibble, quibbling, rap, reflection, reproachfulness,
     slam, stricture, swipe, taking exception, teasing, tiresome,
     tormenting, trichoschistism, troublesome, troubling, urgency,
     urgent, urging, vexatious, vexing, wearisome, wheedling, worrisome,
     worrying