adjective
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causing a great deal of trouble; worrying, upsetting, or annoying
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characterized by violence; turbulent
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of troublesome
Explanation
If something is troublesome, it annoys you or gives you difficulty. Your troublesome old car, for example, might be unreliable and have a history of breaking down at the most inconvenient moments. Use the adjective troublesome to describe things — or people — that are worrisome or inconvenient. A troublesome stomach virus will keep you home from work, and a troublesome teenager is a constant source of anxiety and frustration for his parents. The word troublesome adds the suffix some, "tending to or causing," to trouble, which has a Latin Latin root, turbidare, "make trouble or make turbid." Turbid, by the way, means "muddy or full of confusion."
Vocabulary lists containing troublesome
Similes from Top AP English Exam Novels
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Sarah, Plain and Tall
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Sounder
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Rory McIlroy says he was "pleasantly surprised" at how good his troublesome right foot felt as he completed nine holes of practice on the eve of the US PGA Championship at Aronimink near Philadelphia.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
“Another round of fighting could be even more troublesome, as it could result in stagflation.” he says.
From MarketWatch • May 11, 2026
At 37, an emergency room visit for severe belly pain showed the culprit: a neuroendocrine tumor in the appendix, the size of an Oreo, but much more troublesome.
From Slate • May 6, 2026
This is rendered even more troublesome by the disconnect of these new rights from “duties and practical questions such as deliverability.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
“Today’s gleaning was...more troublesome than expected,” he said.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
