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
Scott Patterson
b
: causing continual or recurring pain or discomfort
He'd had a nagging headache all day.
a nagging injury
naggingly
adverb
There has always been something naggingly sad about Bonds' career …
—Tim Keown
Tim Keown
… something about the book feels naggingly familiar, as if you know how it will end before you start …
—Debra Pickett
Debra Pickett
Synonyms
Examples of nagging in a Sentence
I have this nagging feeling that something will still go wrong
Recent Examples on the Web
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
One nagging problem in the move to cleaner trucks is the lack of refueling stations that enable fleets to travel long distances.
—Kristin J. Bender, The Mercury News, 16 May 2024
But there was also this nagging thought: What is one of the league’s legacy franchises, in its second-largest market, doing playing in the Pyramid, capacity 4,000, on opening night?
—Jim Alexander, Orange County Register, 16 May 2024
But the feeling stayed with him—a nagging voice asking, what if?
—Shefali Luthra, TIME, 15 May 2024
The Mavericks needed every last bucket from Washington as Doncic was clearly impacted by a number of nagging injuries plus the physical defense of Oklahoma City.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 May 2024
Though a web of connections links many of the closed universities, a nagging question remains: Where is the spider?
—Chris Quintana, The Courier-Journal, 9 May 2024
Her motivations for backing out of the deal are never clear and her quiet exit represents the beginning of Humane’s nagging plot holes.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Apr. 2024
Penry transferred to Boise State last year, but nagging injuries kept him off the field until late last season.
—Ron Counts, Idaho Statesman, 21 Apr. 2024
Andrés Soto, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2024
One nagging problem in the move to cleaner trucks is the lack of refueling stations that enable fleets to travel long distances.
—Kristin J. Bender, The Mercury News, 16 May 2024
But there was also this nagging thought: What is one of the league’s legacy franchises, in its second-largest market, doing playing in the Pyramid, capacity 4,000, on opening night?
—Jim Alexander, Orange County Register, 16 May 2024
But the feeling stayed with him—a nagging voice asking, what if?
—Shefali Luthra, TIME, 15 May 2024
The Mavericks needed every last bucket from Washington as Doncic was clearly impacted by a number of nagging injuries plus the physical defense of Oklahoma City.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 May 2024
Though a web of connections links many of the closed universities, a nagging question remains: Where is the spider?
—Chris Quintana, The Courier-Journal, 9 May 2024
Her motivations for backing out of the deal are never clear and her quiet exit represents the beginning of Humane’s nagging plot holes.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Apr. 2024
Penry transferred to Boise State last year, but nagging injuries kept him off the field until late last season.
—Ron Counts, Idaho Statesman, 21 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nagging.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near nagging
Cite this Entry
“Nagging.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nagging. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
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