Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

nettlesome

/ˈnɛtəlsəm/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.07 in modern English

Syllables: net-tle-some
IPA: /ˈnɛtəlsəm/

12

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Causing irritation, annoyance, or discomfort; bothersome, irksome.

adj

Thorny; difficult to deal with, especially due to being complex or tricky.

Example Sentences

"My old car is very nettlesome."
"Mackenzie made himself a nettlesome burr under Crook's saddle, irritating the commanding general."
"Though the pink dolphins are protected by law, the fishermen see them as nettlesome competitors for the catches that feed their families."
"The task of proving Fermat’s “last” theorem remains nettlesome."
"Be careful what you say to him; he's a nettlesome fellow."
"[A]ll the strange oaths and imprecations found in a seaman's vocabulary were called into service by our nettlesome captain and his crew, and hurled without mercy on the winds and weather."

Etymology

From nettle + -some.

Word Breakdown

Suffix: nettle

Inflected Forms

more nettlesome (comparative) most nettlesome (superlative)

Frequently Paired Words

mettlesome

Synonyms

annoying bothersome galling irritating pesky pestering pestiferous plaguy plaguey teasing vexatious vexing

Rhymes With

mettlesome

Questions

How do you pronounce nettlesome?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈnɛtəlsəm/.
What does nettlesome mean?: Causing irritation, annoyance, or discomfort; bothersome, irksome.
Where does nettlesome come from?: From nettle + -some.

How to pronounce nettlesome

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “nettlesome”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈnɛtəlsəm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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