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Startle vs Bother - What's the difference?

startle | bother |

As verbs the difference between startle and bother

is that startle is (label) to move suddenly, or be excited, on feeling alarm; to start while bother is to annoy, to disturb, to irritate.

As nouns the difference between startle and bother

is that startle is a sudden motion or shock caused by an unexpected alarm, surprise, or apprehension of danger while bother is fuss, ado.

As an interjection bother is

a mild expression of annoyance.

startle

English

Verb

(startl)
  • (label) To move suddenly, or be excited, on feeling alarm; to start.
  • * (Joseph Addison) (1672-1719)
  • Why shrinks the soul / Back on herself, and startles at destruction?
  • (label) To excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension; to frighten suddenly and not seriously; to alarm; to surprise.
  • * (John Locke) (1632-1705)
  • The supposition, at least, that angels do sometimes assume bodies need not startle us.
  • * 1896 , (Joseph Conrad), "(An Outcast of the Islands)"
  • Nothing could startle her, make her scold or make her cry. She did not complain, she did not rebel.
  • * , title=Say Cheese and Die, Again!
  • , passage=The high voice in the night air startled me. Without thinking, I started to run. Then stopped. I spun around, my heart heaving against my chest. And saw a boy. About my age.}}
  • To deter; to cause to deviate.
  • (Clarendon)
  • *{{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Michael Arlen), title= “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days, chapter=Ep./4/2
  • , passage=As they turned into Hertford Street they startled a robin from the poet's head on a barren fountain, and he fled away with a cameo note.}}

    Synonyms

    * (to move suddenly) start * (to excite suddenly) alarm, frighten, scare, surprise * (deter) deter

    Derived terms

    * (l)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A sudden motion or shock caused by an unexpected alarm, surprise, or apprehension of danger.
  • * {{quote-book
  • , year=1845 , author=George Hooker Colton, James Davenport Whelpley , title=The American review , chapter=1 , passage=The figure of a man heaving in sight amidst these wide solitudes, always causes a startle and thrill of expectation and doubt, similar to the feeling produced by the announcement of " a strange sail ahead" on shipboard, during a long voyage.}}

    Derived terms

    * (l) * (l)

    See also

    * (l)

    Anagrams

    *

    bother

    English

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To annoy, to disturb, to irritate.
  • Would it bother you if I smoked?
  • To feel care or anxiety; to make or take trouble; to be troublesome.
  • Why do I even bother to try?
  • * Henry James
  • without bothering about it
  • To do something which is of negligible inconvenience.
  • You didn't even bother to close the door.

    Synonyms

    * (annoy, disturb ): annoy, disturb, irritate, put out, vex * See also

    Usage notes

    * This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive'' or the ''gerund (-ing) . See

    Noun

  • Fuss, ado.
  • There was a bit of bother at the hairdresser's when they couldn't find my appointment in the book.
  • * '>citation
  • Trouble, inconvenience.
  • Yes, I can do that for you - it's no bother .

    Interjection

  • A mild expression of annoyance.
  • * 1926 , A A Milne, Winnie the Pooh'', Methuen & Co., Ltd., Chapter 2 ''...in which Pooh goes visiting and gets into a tight place :
  • "Oh, help!" said Pooh. "I'd better go back."
    "Oh, bother !" said Pooh. "I shall have to go on."
    "I can't do either!" said Pooh. "Oh, help and bother !"

    Synonyms

    * blast, dang (US ), darn