Bothersome means annoying or causing trouble in a way that interrupts what you're trying to do. A bothersome mosquito buzzes around your ear when you're trying to sleep. A bothersome cough keeps disrupting your concentration during a test. Bothersome things aren't usually serious problems, they're just persistent irritations that won't go away.

The word suggests something that bothers you repeatedly or continuously. A single loud noise might startle you, but a bothersome dripping faucet keeps making noise all night long. Your little brother asking one question isn't necessarily bothersome, but him asking “Are we there yet?” every two minutes on a long car ride definitely is.

People can be bothersome too. A bothersome classmate might constantly tap their pencil during quiet reading time or keep interrupting while you're explaining something. The key is that bothersome things demand your attention when you'd rather focus on something else. They're like mental mosquitoes: small annoyances that, through sheer persistence, can become genuinely aggravating.