trouble

[truhb-uhl]

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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.

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

Related formstrou·bled·ly, adverbtrou·bled·ness, nountrou·bler, nountrou·bling·ly, adverbnon·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

Synonyms for trouble

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR trouble ON THESAURUS.COM

1. concern, upset, confuse. 4. pester, plague, fret, torment, hector, harass, badger. 12. concern, grief, agitation, care, suffering. 15. trial, tribulation, affliction, misfortune.

Synonym study

14. See care.

Antonyms for trouble

1. mollify; delight.

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

Related Words for troubled

distraught, puzzled, distressed, unsettled, concerned, confused, anxious, pained, disturbed, agitated, bothered, frightened, scared, irritated, tortured, neurotic, afflicted, perturbed, displeased, discombobulated

Examples from the Web for troubled

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples of troubled

They were both silent for a few moments; and Eudora's countenance was troubled.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
The unaccountable change in Eudora's character perplexed and troubled her.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
It was an element of spasmodic conscience than he saw here, and it troubled him.
Malbone
Thomas Wentworth Higginson
It troubled him—the insistent feeling of the eyes which had been upon him.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
I was, in a manner, forced to work, yet I was uneasy and troubled in my mind.
Biography of a Slave
Charles Thompson

British Dictionary definitions for troubled

trouble

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 Troublespolitical 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

adj.

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

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.

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