nagging

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

Synonyms

• discomforting
• discomposing
• disquieting
• distressing
• disturbing
• nasty
• perturbing
• troublesome
• troubling
• troublous
• unsettling
• upsetting
• worrisome

Examples of nagging in a Sentence

I have this nagging feeling that something will still go wrong

Recent Examples on the Web

Anna pops up throughout the episode as a kind of nagging conscience for Mike, asking about his mom and whether the cops ever caught and punished her killer. —Noel Murray, Vulture, 9 June 2024

By all accounts, the investigator was uniquely suited to win over those looking to pay someone to snuff out their cheating wife, nagging husband, or greedy business partner. —Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 7 June 2024

Still, past wounds from other relationships are potentially nagging at the back of your mind. —Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 26 Apr. 2024

Maybe, though, the disenchantment came from something bigger than any of that – a nagging sense that South Africa was going backward. —Ryan Lenora Brown, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 May 2024

Though there’s always excitement for the final destination, there’s also a growing packing list, last minute errands to run, and the nagging dilemma of how to make the best out of all those hours in the air. —Kristin Braswell, Travel + Leisure, 21 May 2024

The foreclosure underscores the nagging weakness in the Bay Area commercial real estate market. —George Avalos, The Mercury News, 20 May 2024

In the past, nagging doubts may have dissuaded you from putting yourself out there. —Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 27 Apr. 2024

Advertisement Grand Canyon, on the other hand, went through four pitchers , which head coach Shannon Hays attributed largely to a nagging hip flexor injury to senior Hailey Hudson. —Andrés Soto, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 1