trouble

[ truhb-uhl ]

/ ˈtrʌb əl /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR trouble ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), trou·bled, trou·bling.

to disturb the mental calm and contentment of; worry; distress; agitate.

to put to inconvenience, exertion, pains, or the like: May I trouble you to shut the door?

to cause bodily pain, discomfort, or disorder to; afflict: to be troubled by arthritis.

to annoy, vex, or bother: Don't trouble her with petty complaints now.

to disturb, agitate, or stir up so as to make turbid, as water or wine: A heavy gale troubled the ocean waters.

verb (used without object), trou·bled, trou·bling.

to put oneself to inconvenience, extra effort, or the like.

to be distressed or agitated mentally; worry: She always troubled over her son's solitariness.

noun

difficulty, annoyance, or harassment: It would be no trouble at all to advise you.

unfortunate or distressing position, circumstance, or occurrence; misfortune: Financial trouble may threaten security.

civil disorder, disturbance, or conflict: political trouble in the new republic; labor troubles.

a physical disorder, disease, ailment, etc.; ill health: heart trouble; stomach trouble.

mental or emotional disturbance or distress; worry: Trouble and woe were her lot in life.

an instance of this: some secret trouble weighing on his mind; a mother who shares all her children's troubles.

effort, exertion, or pains in doing something; inconvenience endured in accomplishing some action, deed, etc.: The results were worth the trouble it took.

an objectionable feature; problem; drawback: The trouble with your proposal is that it would be too costly to implement.

something or someone that is a cause or source of disturbance, distress, annoyance, etc.

a personal habit or trait that is a disadvantage or a cause of mental distress: His greatest trouble is oversensitivity.

the Troubles,

the violence and civil war in Ireland, 1920–22.
the conflict between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland, beginning in 1969.

Nearby words

trotyl, trou-de-loup, troubadour, troubadours, troubetzkoy, trouble, trouble man, trouble one's head with, trouble someone for, trouble spot, troubled

Idioms

in trouble, Informal. pregnant out of wedlock (used as a euphemism).

Origin of trouble

1175–1225; (v.) Middle English troublen < Old French troubler < Vulgar Latin *turbulare, derivative of *turbulus turbid, back formation from Latin turbulentus turbulent; (noun) Middle English < Middle French, derivative of troubler

SYNONYMS FOR trouble

1 concern, upset, confuse.

4 pester, plague, fret, torment, hector, harass, badger.

12 concern, grief, agitation, care, suffering.

15 trial, tribulation, affliction, misfortune.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR trouble ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR trouble

1 mollify; delight.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR trouble ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

trou·bled·ly, adverbtrou·bled·ness, nountrou·bler, nountrou·bling·ly, adverb

non·trou·bling, adjectiveo·ver·trou·ble, verb, o·ver·trou·bled, o·ver·trou·bling.self-trou·bled, adjectiveself-trou·bling, adjectiveun·trou·bled, adjective

Synonym study

14. See care.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for troubled

But South Koreans have a troubled history with American intervention in Korean markets.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea|Rich Goldstein|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They wrote about subjects that they knew intimately, or that troubled or fascinated them, which is what all novelists do.
The 2014 Novel of the Year|Nathaniel Rich|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But after a troubled history with alcohol, some tribes are wary.
Tribes to U.S. Government: Take Your Weed and Shove It|Abby Haglage|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yet here we are, dispensing another dollop of inhumanity to some of the most troubled and despised people in America.
The GOP’s Hidden Ban on Prison Abortions|Harold Pollack|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The first story featured a man who hires Dr. Strange to help interpret his troubled dreams.
The Flying Sorcery of Dr. Strange: Benedict Cumberbatch Is Marvel's Most Bizarre Magician|Rich Goldstein|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How did you know, or I either, that they may not be very jolly fellows, and not in the least troubled with philosophic doubts?
Hypatia|Charles Kingsley
She seemed to be troubled with some haunting suspicion that this was not an orthodox cat.
The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 20, March 25, 1897|Various
Besides, I hardly think that either he or his agent would have troubled to carry away an empty basin as a momento of the deed.
The Tree of Knowledge|Mrs. Baillie Reynolds
She took it quietly, but deeply, which troubled my private sense of relief, and indeed turned it into something very like regret.
The Book of Susan|Lee Wilson Dodd
And Lady Joan soon found that she was not in a set that troubled itself much about the suffering poor.
At The Relton Arms|Evelyn Sharp

British Dictionary definitions for troubled

trouble

/ (ˈtrʌbəl) /

noun

a state or condition of mental distress or anxiety

a state or condition of disorder or unrestindustrial trouble

a condition of disease, pain, or malfunctioningshe has liver trouble

a cause of distress, disturbance, or pain; problemwhat is the trouble?

effort or exertion taken to do somethinghe took a lot of trouble over this design

liability to suffer punishment or misfortune (esp in the phrase be in trouble)he's in trouble with the police

a personal quality that is regarded as a weakness, handicap, or cause of annoyancehis trouble is that he's too soft

(plural)

political unrest or public disturbances
the Troubles political violence in Ireland during the 1920s or in Northern Ireland between the late 1960s and the late 1990s

the condition of an unmarried girl who becomes pregnant (esp in the phrase in trouble)

verb

(tr) to cause trouble to; upset, pain, or worry

(intr usually with a negative and foll by about) to put oneself to inconvenience; be concerneddon't trouble about me

(intr; usually with a negative) to take pains; exert oneselfplease don't trouble to write everything down

(tr) to cause inconvenience or discomfort todoes this noise trouble you?

(tr; usually passive) to agitate or make roughthe seas were troubled

(tr) Caribbean to interfere withhe wouldn't like anyone to trouble his new bicycle

Derived Formstroubled, adjectivetroubler, noun

Word Origin for trouble

C13: from Old French troubler, from Vulgar Latin turbulāre (unattested), from Late Latin turbidāre, from turbidus confused, from turba commotion

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for troubled (1 of 3)

troubled

adj.

in reference to waters, etc., late 14c., past participle adjective from trouble (v.).

Word Origin and History for troubled (1 of 3)

trouble

early 13c., from Old French trubler (11c.), metathesis of turbler, from Vulgar Latin *turbulare, from Late Latin turbidare "to trouble, make turbid," from Latin turbidus (see turbid). Related: Troubled; troubling.

Word Origin and History for troubled (2 of 3)

trouble

c.1200, "agitation of the mind, emotional turmoil," from Old French truble, related to trubler (see trouble (v.)). From early 15c. as "a concern, a cause for worry." The Troubles in reference to times of violence and unrest in Ireland is attested from 1880, in reference to the rebellion of 1640s.

Idioms and Phrases with troubled

trouble

In addition to the idioms beginning with trouble

trouble one's head with
trouble someone for

also see:

borrow trouble
fish in troubled waters
go to the trouble
in trouble with
pour oil on troubled waters

trouble

verb (used with object), trou·bled, trou·bling.

verb (used without object), trou·bled, trou·bling.

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of trouble

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for troubled

British Dictionary definitions for troubled

trouble

noun

verb

Word Origin for trouble

Word Origin and History for troubled (1 of 3)

troubled

Word Origin and History for troubled (1 of 3)

trouble

Word Origin and History for troubled (2 of 3)

trouble

Idioms and Phrases with troubled

trouble