as in disturbing
causing worry or anxiety
I have this nagging feeling that something will still go wrong
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in urging
to subject (someone) to constant scoldings and sharp reminders
she kept nagging him to fix the furnace before the weather got any colder
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in complaining
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
if all you can do is nag, then you are of no use to this organization at all
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of nagging
Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 17 Oct. 2025
No big credit red flags, though corporate credit spreads are up off their lows in recent weeks and the nagging questions about a couple of private-debt blowups are on repeat.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025
Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Oct. 2025
The one nagging doubt about him is his durability.
—Sukhman Singh, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nagging
Adjective
Stanley needs to know as the guitars come crashing in to join him on the nagging chorus.
—Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 17 Oct. 2025
No big credit red flags, though corporate credit spreads are up off their lows in recent weeks and the nagging questions about a couple of private-debt blowups are on repeat.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
Lozano has had an up-and-down season, limited to 22 starts (out of 34 MLS games) by nagging hamstring injuries, logging nine goals and 10 assists but growing visibly frustrated on the field with incessant fouling by opponents and tactical congestion.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Oct. 2025
The one nagging doubt about him is his durability.
—Sukhman Singh, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nagging
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nagging
Adjective
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Despite already having declared her candidacy, McKnight voiced disturbing and violent threats against Sheehy.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Nov. 2025
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This story contains a description of a shooting some readers may find disturbing.—
Omar Jimenez,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Authorities are urging the public to avoid open areas and to be alert to structures, trees, and power lines due to the risk of falls and accidents.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
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The agency is also urging people to keep pets on a leash when recreating outdoors, particularly near riparian habitats, which are where moose prefer to live.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But Frederica Wilson, a Democratic congresswoman from South Florida, vividly remembers her constituents complaining about one Facebook ad in particular.—
David Smiley,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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About 20% of fire department employees responded to the survey, with large majorities of those respondents complaining about discrimination, diversity and inclusion programs and a wide range of organizational issues.—
Aaron Valdez,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Compared to the swooning Gothic romance of Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula, Kenneth Branagh’s Frankenstein is just too perverse — in an unsettling way.—
Katie Rife,
Vulture,
9 Nov. 2025
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At the same time, the detective assigned to the case begins to uncover secrets about Scout, along with an unsettling breakthrough in Georgia’s death.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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After making its first appearance at the 2024 Live Más Live event, the dessert quickly built a cult-like reputation online, with fans sharing mockups, memes and petitions begging for a real release.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
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Yep, the 115 is the go-to when the faucet’s turned on and the trees are begging for tracks.—
Kimberly Beekman,
Outside,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Agents appear to fight off a screaming crowd trying to help the man by pushing them away and threatening them with pepper spray.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
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There’s nothing like stepping onto the ice with thousands of screaming school children on top of you after an early-morning bus ride to play in an early-morning game to remind you’re in the AHL rather than the NHL.—
Scott Powers,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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To have two concussions in 12 days is troubling, particularly since Tanev had a concussion history prior to that.—
Jonas Siegel,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
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That’s troubling news for studio Neon and even scarier for writer/director Chris Stuckmann, a YouTube film critic from Ohio who made the leap to feature filmmaking in Hollywood thanks to Mike Flanagan.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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If something’s bothering you, say so.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 2025
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Saft, not bothering to remove his sneakers, leaped onto a chair to place an ornate gold mirror over the mantelpiece.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nagging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nagging. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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