Synonyms of nagging

nagging 1 of 2

adjective

ˈna-giŋ 

as in disturbing

causing worry or anxiety

I have this nagging feeling that something will still go wrong

Synonyms & Similar Words

• disturbing
• unsettling
• troubling
• troublesome
• nasty
• frightening
• distressing
• worrisome
• upsetting
• scary
• disquieting
• discomforting
• terrible
• perturbing
• horrible
• troublous
• discouraging
• shocking
• terrifying
• discomposing
• dread
• dire
• disconcerting
• demoralizing
• daunting
• dismaying
• direful
• dreadful
• alarming
• dispiriting
• fearful
• chilling
• discomfiting
• disheartening
• formidable
• forbidding
• horrifying
• harassing
• persecutory
• ghastly
• horrendous
• fearsome
• frightful
• intimidating
• persecutive
• hair-raising

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reassuring
• settling
• soothing
• calming
• comforting
• narcotic
• relaxing
• quieting
• dreamy
• inviting
• sedative
• tranquilizing
• consoling
• lulling
• pacifying

nagging

2 of 2

verb

present participle of nag

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

• urging
• begging
• bothering
• hounding
• needling
• dogging
• annoying
• badgering
• picking at
• pecking (at)
• henpecking
• pestering
• harassing
• bugging
• nitpicking
• plaguing
• pushing
• prodding
• prompting
• vexing
• hassling
• spurring
• insisting
• goading
• irking
• harrying
• pleading
• coaxing
• fussing (about or over)
• cajoling
• pressuring
• inciting
• exhorting
• wheedling
• egging
• riding
• carping (at)
• baiting
• yapping (at)
• importuning
• chivying
• pressing
• blandishing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• complimenting
• praising
• recommending
• commending
• touting
• extolling
• applauding
• lauding
• building up
• eulogizing
• acclaiming

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

• complaining
• screaming
• whining
• moaning
• muttering
• grumbling
• worrying
• whimpering
• growling
• bitching
• kicking
• yammering
• grousing
• squealing
• murmuring
• griping
• squawking
• carping
• crying
• wailing
• hollering
• whinging
• yowling
• bleating
• bellyaching
• repining
• beefing
• grouching
• keening
• kvetching
• inveighing
• fussing
• grumping
• grizzling
• caterwauling
• crabbing
• protesting
• yawping
• croaking
• maundering
• kicking up a fuss
• sobbing
• quibbling
• quarreling (with)
• objecting (to)
• fretting
• stewing
• lamenting
• blubbering
• caviling
• bewailing
• bemoaning
• deploring

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rejoicing
• delighting
• enduring
• accepting
• taking
• bearing
• tolerating
• crowing
• cheering
• applauding
• commending
• countenancing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of nagging

Adjective

In Jenny Offill’s Weather, climate change intrudes on its narrator’s mundane day-to-day thoughts, a nagging anxiety that never quite boils over. — Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026

In anticipation of the birth of his son, Ferguson had kicked a nagging heroin habit, trading his addiction to drugs for an infatuation with activism. — Literary Hub, 10 July 2026

Verb

His one rule for guests is to chase whatever task is nagging at them, but to resist sneaking in actual work. — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 26 June 2026

The Minnesota Wild players are not playing hockey right now and still have a what-if nagging at them about injuries. — Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 25 May 2026