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

Biden could also cost Democrats control of Congress July 10, 2024 The debate was supposed to lay to rest nagging concerns about Biden’s mental and physical vitality. —Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2024

Murray has struggled with injuries, some nagging, one serious, and his decision to compete internationally leaves him vulnerable. —Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 11 July 2024

But no one ever answers the nagging question of why all these people living in an area regularly hammered by tornadoes never seem to have a basement or storm cellar to flee to. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 July 2024

Instead, a different sense of dread creeps in, the nagging feeling that Ada does not belong to them. —Dennis Perkins and Chris Bellamy, EW.com, 5 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 1