Definition

1. Noun:
   • A source of annoyance, trouble, or unhappiness: A vulgar, informal term for a person, thing, or situation that is extremely irritating, bothersome, or difficult to deal with.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:
  • Filling out all this paperwork is a real pain in the ass.
  • The constant construction noise next door has become a major pain in the ass.
  • He can be a charming guy, but when he's late, he's a total pain in the ass.

Advanced Usage and Notes

• Register: This term is considered vulgar and highly informal. It should be avoided in formal, professional, or polite contexts.
• Intensifiers: Often used with intensifiers like "real," "total," "absolute," or "major" to emphasize the level of annoyance.
• Euphemistic Variants: In less vulgar speech, people often use the softened version "pain in the neck" or "pain in the butt" to convey a similar, though less intense, meaning.

Variants and Related Words

• Pain in the neck (n.): A milder, non-vulgar synonym for an annoying person or thing.
  • This software bug is a real pain in the neck to fix.
• Pain in the butt (n.): Slightly informal but less vulgar than "ass."
• Nuisance (n.): A more formal term for an annoying person or thing.
• Bother (n.): Something that causes minor trouble or irritation.
• Hassle (n.): An irritating inconvenience.

Synonyms

• Annoyance
• Irritant
• Headache (informal)
• Plague (informal, as in "That guy is a plague.")
• Thorn in one's side

Related Idioms and Expressions

• A royal pain: An expression emphasizing something is a major nuisance.
  • Getting a visa for that country was a royal pain.
• To be more trouble than it's worth: Describes a situation where the annoyance outweighs the benefit.
  • Fixing that old car is more trouble than it's worth.

Noun

1. something or someone that causes trouble; a source of unhappiness
   • washing dishes was a nuisance before we got a dish washer
   • a bit of a bother
   • he's not a friend, he's an infliction