A hassle is something annoying or difficult that takes more time and effort than it should. When your mom asks you to clean your room and you groan because it feels like such a hassle, you're reacting to all the picking up, organizing, and work involved. A hassle isn't necessarily hard in a serious way; it's just irritating and inconvenient.

Common hassles include forgetting your homework at home and having to go back for it, dealing with a shoelace that keeps coming untied, or standing in a long line when you're already late. The word captures that frustrated feeling of “Why does this have to be so complicated?”

People also use hassle as a verb, meaning to bother or pester someone repeatedly. If your little brother keeps hassling you while you're trying to read, he's annoying you with constant interruptions and questions. A classmate might hassle you about joining their team for a project.

The expression “too much hassle” means something requires more effort than it's worth. You might decide making an elaborate costume is too much hassle and choose something simpler instead.