Synonyms of needled

needled

verb

past tense of needle

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

• taunted
• teased
• mocked
• baited
• ridiculed
• bothered
• heckled
• rode
• hassled
• annoyed
• hazed
• tortured
• irritated
• picked on
• plagued
• derided
• nettled
• made game of
• jeered
• gibed
• pestered
• badgered
• goaded
• griped
• riled
• tried
• galled
• irked
• ruffled
• bullied
• tested
• nagged
• troubled
• vexed
• aggravated
• chafed
• exasperated
• fretted
• frosted
• itched
• grated
• hounded
• hectored
• tormented
• bedeviled
• peeved
• harassed
• agitated
• disturbed
• perturbed
• burned (up)
• bugged
• beleaguered
• rasped
• dogged
• discomforted
• piqued
• got
• aggrieved
• put out
• gnawed (at)
• narked
• spited
• persecuted
• hacked (off)
• browbeat
• terrorized
• harried
• hagrode

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

• urged
• hounded
• nagged
• begged
• dogged
• pecked (at)
• picked at
• bothered
• badgered
• annoyed
• henpecked
• pushed
• harassed
• prodded
• pestered
• irked
• insisted
• goaded
• prompted
• baited
• spurred
• vexed
• plagued
• egged
• pressured
• coaxed
• cajoled
• exhorted
• pleaded
• harried
• hassled
• incited
• wheedled
• rode
• bugged
• fussed (about or over)
• nitpicked
• pressed
• importuned
• carped (at)
• yapped (at)
• chivied
• blandished

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• complimented
• recommended
• praised
• commended
• lauded
• touted
• applauded
• extolled
• built up
• acclaimed
• eulogized

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of needled

At a Sunday rally in Georgia, Ossoff needled Trump for accepting a new Air Force One plane from the autocratic monarchy of Qatar and for reportedly hiding in a catering truck to switch to a different plane in Turkey last month. — Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 20 Aug. 2026

Drummer Jay Russell kept to stark rattles, Sam Shipstone patched in his scratchy electric guitar, and Ryan Needham needled through grumbling basslines. — Victoria Borlando, Pitchfork, 24 July 2026

By contrast, Trump is being needled almost weekly by Tillis and other GOP senators whose chattiness with the press has drawn the ire of the president. — David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 31 May 2026

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