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
Examples of nagging in a Sentence
I have this nagging feeling that something will still go wrong
Recent Examples on the Web
There’s a nagging overwhelm that often comes with navigating those months when kids are out of school.
—Anna Halkidis, Parents, 17 June 2025
Especially after the Phillies missed out on Devers, who could have filled the power void left by Bryce Harper who recovers from a nagging wrist injury.
—Anthony Stitt, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
Before the submarine, there was the diving bell, and before the diving bell, there was the ephemeral but persistent human dream of sinking, the nagging drive to embed the body into a balloon-like enclosure and float alongside the fishes.
—Matthew Gavin Frank
june 12, Literary Hub, 12 June 2025
But underneath that mantle is a different, longstanding identity, one he’s carried from Georgia to New York to Jacksonville, through early years of shaky hands and later years of nagging injuries.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for nagging
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Anna Halkidis, Parents, 17 June 2025
Especially after the Phillies missed out on Devers, who could have filled the power void left by Bryce Harper who recovers from a nagging wrist injury.
—Anthony Stitt, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
Before the submarine, there was the diving bell, and before the diving bell, there was the ephemeral but persistent human dream of sinking, the nagging drive to embed the body into a balloon-like enclosure and float alongside the fishes.
—Matthew Gavin Frank
june 12, Literary Hub, 12 June 2025
But underneath that mantle is a different, longstanding identity, one he’s carried from Georgia to New York to Jacksonville, through early years of shaky hands and later years of nagging injuries.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for nagging
Cite this Entry
“Nagging.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nagging. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share