nagging

1 of 2

adjective

nag·​ging ˈna-giŋ 

1

: persistently annoying or finding fault with someone

a nagging husband/wife

2

a

: causing continual or recurring worry or anxiety

a nagging fear

This time, the worry is that the housing slowdown will curtail growth before the Federal Reserve gets nagging inflation concerns resolved.

—Scott Patterson

b

: causing continual or recurring pain or discomfort

He'd had a nagging headache all day.

a nagging injury

naggingly

ˈna-giŋ-lē 

adverb

There has always been something naggingly sad about Bonds' career …

—Tim Keown

… something about the book feels naggingly familiar, as if you know how it will end before you start …

—Debra Pickett

nagging

2 of 2

present participle of nag entry 1

Synonyms of nagging

Adjective

• disturbing
• unsettling
• troubling
• troublesome
• nasty

Examples of nagging in a Sentence

Adjective

I have this nagging feeling that something will still go wrong

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Slowed last season by a nagging knee injury, Royals aimed to make a bigger impact this year as a wide receiver. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2026

Ohtani is expected to return from his nagging biceps and knee injuries by year’s end. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Baker-Mazara, who dealt with nagging injuries all season that held him out of practice, spent the remainder of the game in a folding chair on the baseline, away from the rest of the team. — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani was given the night off to rest nagging knee and biceps injuries. — ABC News, 9 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for nagging

• bagging
• bragging
• dragging
• flagging
• gagging
• lagging
• sagging
• slagging
• snagging
• tagging
• wagging
• unflagging