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nounnounnounadjective

l’embêtant

annoying

Definition & meaning

Embêtant is an adjective meaning:

  1. Annoying, bothersome, irritating
    It describes something or someone that causes annoyance or makes a situation unpleasant.

    • Un bruit embêtant — an annoying noise
    • Une personne embêtante — an irritating person

  2. Inconvenient, troublesome, problematic
    It can describe a difficulty or situation that causes inconvenience.

    • C’est embêtant de devoir recommencer. — It is troublesome to have to start again.
    • Un problème embêtant — a troublesome problem

In expressions such as C’est embêtant ! or C’est bien embêtant !, it often means “That’s unfortunate,” “That’s a nuisance,” or “That’s annoying.”

Grammar & Word origin

Embêtant is the masculine singular form of an adjective.

  • Masculine singular: embêtant
  • Feminine singular: embêtante
  • Masculine plural: embêtants
  • Feminine plural: embêtantes

It comes from the verb embêter , “to annoy” or “to bother.” The verb is historically related to bête , “beast” or “foolish person,” with the prefix em- .

As a present participle, embêtant can also mean “annoying” in the sense of “that which annoys.”

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

  • ennuyant — boring or tiresome; it emphasizes lack of interest more than inconvenience.
  • agaçant — irritating or exasperating; usually stronger and more focused on provoking irritation.
  • gênant — inconvenient, awkward, or embarrassing; it does not always imply annoyance.
  • ennuyeux — boring, tedious, or troublesome; it is broader and often more neutral.
  • pénible — difficult to endure or burdensome; generally stronger than embêtant.

Antonyms

  • agréable — pleasant; the general opposite when describing an experience or person.
  • pratique — convenient or useful; the opposite when embêtant means inconvenient.
  • facile — easy; the opposite when referring to a troublesome task or situation.
  • plaisant — enjoyable or agreeable; the opposite when embêtant means irritating.

Common phrases & collocations

  • C’est embêtant. [?](vocabuo://word/C’est embêtant) — That’s annoying / That’s unfortunate.
  • C’est vraiment embêtant. [?](vocabuo://word/C’est vraiment embêtant) — That’s really troublesome.
  • un problème embêtant [?](vocabuo://word/un problème embêtant) — a troublesome problem
  • une situation embêtante [?](vocabuo://word/une situation embêtante) — an awkward or inconvenient situation
  • une question embêtante [?](vocabuo://word/une question embêtante) — an awkward or difficult question
  • un voisin embêtant [?](vocabuo://word/un voisin embêtant) — an annoying neighbor
  • avoir quelque chose d’embêtant à faire [?](vocabuo://word/avoir quelque chose d’embêtant à faire) — to have something tedious or bothersome to do

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Examples

Le bruit est embêtant.adjective

The noise is annoying.

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