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 of nagging

• disturbing
• unsettling
• troubling
• troublesome
• nasty

Examples of nagging in a Sentence

I have this nagging feeling that something will still go wrong

Recent Examples on the Web

For the most part, the nagging ailments have been minimal, with Jaquez appearing in all but seven games this season, after missing 16 last season. —Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2026

Everything seemed mostly normal, aside from my lingering symptoms and nagging intuition that something was off with my body. —Jillian Wager, Glamour, 30 Mar. 2026

San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy missed eight games with nagging turf toe. —Megan Armstrong, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026

The move paid off Wednesday night because his presence allowed Mitch Johnson to give Luke Kornet another night off to deal with a nagging knee injury. —Tom Orsborn, San Antonio Express-News, 26 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for nagging

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