niggle

1 of 2

verb

nig·​gle ˈni-gəl 

niggled; niggling ˈni-g(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

a

: trifle

b

: to spend too much effort on minor details

2

: to find fault constantly in a petty way : carp

she haggles, she niggles, she wears out our patience

—Virginia Woolf

3

: gnaw

transitive verb

: to give stingily or in tiny portions

niggler

ˈni-g(ə-)lər 

noun

niggle

2 of 2

noun

chiefly British

: a trifling doubt, objection, or complaint

Synonyms

Verb

• complain
• quibble
• fuss
• nitpick
• cavil
• moan

Examples of niggle in a Sentence

Verb

She had been niggled by worry her entire life.

He's always niggling over small details.

Noun

I've had a knee niggle for the past few days.

He has a bit of a niggle in his back.

I have a few minor niggles about the performance.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Numerous niggling absences across the pre-season programme, plus the loss of Adam Webster for most of the campaign with knee ligament damage sustained in a non-contact incident in training during the camp in Spain in July, do not bode well on that front. —Andy Naylor, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2025

There’s been a series of niggling frustrations in my life the last few weeks. —Wayne Chan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 June 2025

Noun

Cambridge Audio appears to have taken minor niggles from its user community to heart and this update is the result. —New Atlas, 22 Aug. 2025

Some of the tweaks to personnel have been born out of necessity, through suspensions (Nicolas Jackson, Moises Caicedo, Levi Colwill and Liam Delap) or injury niggles (e.g. Romeo Lavia and Reece James). —Mark Carey, New York Times, 11 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

origin unknown

First Known Use

Verb

1599, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

1865, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for niggle

• giggle
• jiggle
• wiggle
• wriggle