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
The biggest question mark has been the health of quarterback Behren Morton, who missed two games and parts of others with a nagging leg injury, including the lone loss to Arizona State.
—The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 7 Dec. 2025
It’s been another frustrating start to the season for superstar center Joel Embiid, who has struggled to stay on the floor consistently due to past and nagging injuries.
—Cole Sullivan, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
At the same time, there’s a nagging feeling about traveling to the East Coast for primetime off a long layoff and the chance for a sluggish start.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 30 Nov. 2025
Google pitched the model as one that can solve complex science and math problems, and address nagging issues — such as generating images and overlaid text with incorrect spelling — that might deter enterprise customers from adopting AI services more widely.
—Mark Bergen, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nagging
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The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 7 Dec. 2025
It’s been another frustrating start to the season for superstar center Joel Embiid, who has struggled to stay on the floor consistently due to past and nagging injuries.
—Cole Sullivan, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
At the same time, there’s a nagging feeling about traveling to the East Coast for primetime off a long layoff and the chance for a sluggish start.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 30 Nov. 2025
Google pitched the model as one that can solve complex science and math problems, and address nagging issues — such as generating images and overlaid text with incorrect spelling — that might deter enterprise customers from adopting AI services more widely.
—Mark Bergen, Fortune, 25 Nov. 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 8 Dec. 2025.
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