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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of nagging
Shuli Ren, Twin Cities, 30 Dec. 2025
Not even arrests, violence or the nagging sensation known as lust can sway them.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 Dec. 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
The nagging question is how thought leaders in the West got the world’s second-largest economy so wrong.
—Shuli Ren, Twin Cities, 30 Dec. 2025
Not even arrests, violence or the nagging sensation known as lust can sway them.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 Dec. 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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Those in charge — as in charge as anybody can be with every policy just a judge’s ruling away from being null and void — have been begging Congress for help for years, but to no avail.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
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His parents also pleaded with him to drop the weapon while begging the cops not to shoot their son.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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According to the Union Parish Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched in November to a residence in the Linville community of Marion after a caller reported a neighbor standing in their driveway screaming and refusing to leave the property despite having been warned previously.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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Avid viewers of The Studio will appreciate the callback to a watershed episode this season when Ice Cube, as himself, uttered the same to a room filled with screaming fans, causing a fresh headache for Seth Rogen’s backlot boss Matt Remick.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Authorities said police responded to reports of a burglary early morning, when security staff alerted officers of the troubling incident.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
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Indeed, squandering fourth-quarter advantages become a troubling trend for the Ravens in Harbaugh’s last few seasons, and after a hamstring injury sidelined Jackson, Baltimore stumbled to a 1-5 start in 2025.—
Noah Trister,
Denver Post,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Ibrahim keeps bothering me endlessly, touching my leg and thigh.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
4 Jan. 2026
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Ask her if anything is bothering her.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
24 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nagging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nagging. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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