From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Pester \Pes"ter\, verb (used with an object) [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.
We are pestered with mice and rats. --Dr. H. More.
A multitude of scribblers daily pester the world. --Dryden.
2. To crowd together in an annoying way; to overcrowd; to infest. [Obs.] --Milton.
All rivers and pools . . . pestered full with fishes. --Holland.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
adjective
1: 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
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