1
as in taunted
to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults
we needled him mercilessly for thinking that he had any chance of being the prom date for the school's most popular girl
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in urged
to subject (someone) to constant scoldings and sharp reminders
quit needling me! I'll take out the trash in a minute!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of needled
Yang was critical of TKO’s handling of the Las Vegas event, which took place last week at Allegiant Stadium for the second straight year and needled the company over the recent wave of WWE departures.
—
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2026
Johnson could have needled Woods about their windy Sunday stroll at Augusta in ’07, when Johnson trailed Stuart Appleby by two strokes, and Woods by one, heading into the last round in which Johnson’s 69 produced another slice of history.
—Jay Paris, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
But there are other factors that needled their way into the evolutionary development of dormancy characteristics.
—Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Jan. 2026
Thanks to him and his colleagues Lucas Atia and Janet Teng, there’s a much faster, simpler treatment without an IV bag and an hour of getting needled, and a far more accessible treatment for people for whom simply getting to the hospital might be a major hassle or even an impossibility.
—New Atlas, 30 Dec. 2025
The Ukrainian leader also wore more formal attire, something that did not go unnoticed by pro-Trump reporter Brian Glenn, who in February needled Zelensky for his lack of a suit.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 18 Aug. 2025
Trump at one point needled Zelenskyy over Ukraine delaying elections.
—Aamer Madhani, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2025
One ayatollah in particular, Ruhollah Khomeini, needled the Shah incessantly.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2026
Johnson could have needled Woods about their windy Sunday stroll at Augusta in ’07, when Johnson trailed Stuart Appleby by two strokes, and Woods by one, heading into the last round in which Johnson’s 69 produced another slice of history.
—Jay Paris, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026
But there are other factors that needled their way into the evolutionary development of dormancy characteristics.
—Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Jan. 2026
Thanks to him and his colleagues Lucas Atia and Janet Teng, there’s a much faster, simpler treatment without an IV bag and an hour of getting needled, and a far more accessible treatment for people for whom simply getting to the hospital might be a major hassle or even an impossibility.
—New Atlas, 30 Dec. 2025
The Ukrainian leader also wore more formal attire, something that did not go unnoticed by pro-Trump reporter Brian Glenn, who in February needled Zelensky for his lack of a suit.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 18 Aug. 2025
Trump at one point needled Zelenskyy over Ukraine delaying elections.
—Aamer Madhani, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2025
One ayatollah in particular, Ruhollah Khomeini, needled the Shah incessantly.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needled
Verb
-
During Sunday afternoon’s series-ending Game 4 — which the Knicks won, 144-114 — the New York fans booed Joel Embiid loudly and taunted him with posters showing Mitchell Robinson dunking on him two days earlier.—
Peter Sblendorio,
Hartford Courant,
11 May 2026
-
The window next to my desk overlooks the gym’s large communal exercise room, and throughout the day, I am taunted by the sight of gyrating bodies panting through a Zumba class or a kettlebell set.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Before releasing his initial budget in April, the mayor urged the council not to make significant cuts to homelessness, contending that could reverse notable progress the city has made on the issue.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
-
But Senate Republican leader Stephen Harding of Brookfield told The Courant on Wednesday that Lamont should have taken advice from the homeschooling parents who urged him to veto the bill.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Despite the cancellations, the group has teased that new artist names are set to be released in the near future.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
1 June 2026
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In a new interview with People, Cipriano teased what viewers can expect of the Logan and Grace storyline.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
And so, hounded by creditors and distressed by mounting debts, the remaining family had to leave their formerly genteel surroundings for the gritty, unsentimental shadows of the Yoshiwara.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 May 2026
-
Well, formerly of Wolves (he was hounded out in December after fan protests).—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
McGuire did say that Hammond would be ready Week 1 if Texas accepted his offer to play in Lubbock or AT&T Stadium after head coach Steve Sarkisian mocked the Red Raiders’ schedule this season.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 May 2026
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For years, the engineer slots have been mocked by theme-park enthusiasts as boring tasks — to the point that it was quietly mocked in a stage show at the recent Orlando Fringe Festival.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
That process, too, has nagged at her confidence and her resolve.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
-
The milquetoast nature of the statement — with its measured language and nonexistent call to action — and the broader absence of real accountability have nagged at me for weeks.—
Uzma Rentia,
STAT,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The real win was learning how to be a different version of myself — one who could commit fully and keep going even when my body (and mind) begged me to stop.—
Kristy Ellmer,
CNBC,
31 May 2026
-
What made Grande stick out back then was a limber voice that begged to be dressed in sounds that swing.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
The show pushes back at the gloomy narrative that has dogged San Francisco for the past five or ten years.—
Winston Ross,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
-
Control was wrested back towards the end of the period, a sign of better things to come, even if that profligacy that has dogged them so much reared once again in stoppage time at the end of the half.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Needled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needled. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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