Synonyms of needling

needling 1 of 2

adjective

as in mocking

Related Words

• mocking
• baiting
• heckling
• derisive
• taunting
• ridiculing
• deriding
• jeering
• hassling
• sarcastic
• derisory
• contemptuous
• joking
• razzing
• quipping
• bantering
• bandying
• ribbing
• joshing
• scornful
• kidding
• quizzical
• fooling
• disdainful
• jesting
• rallying
• funning
• chaffing

needling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of needle

1

as in teasing

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

• teasing
• taunting
• mocking
• bothering
• baiting
• heckling
• ridiculing
• hassling
• riding
• torturing
• annoying
• hazing
• irritating
• plaguing
• trying
• picking on
• making game of
• deriding
• pestering
• goading
• jeering
• badgering
• nagging
• itching
• nettling
• griping
• testing
• troubling
• aggravating
• gibing
• bugging
• riling
• ruffling
• irking
• tormenting
• fretting
• grating
• bullying
• chafing
• exasperating
• harassing
• vexing
• hounding
• spiting
• disturbing
• discomforting
• agitating
• galling
• dogging
• rasping
• hectoring
• getting
• browbeating
• burning (up)
• bedeviling
• piquing
• perturbing
• persecuting
• beleaguering
• frosting
• peeving
• narking
• harrying
• gnawing (at)
• putting out
• terrorizing
• hacking (off)
• hagriding
• aggrieving

2

as in nagging

to subject (someone) to constant scoldings and sharp reminders

quit needling me! I'll take out the trash in a minute!

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of needling

Adjective

These were actors who may have earlier been needling at or attempting to push my boundaries. — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026

But for those who find (and in some cases may be slightly mystified as to why) that there is a nagging, needling value to Schrader’s ongoing project of tussling with grandiose dilemmas of transgression and deliverance, there is some new news here. — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 4 Sep. 2026

Then, Metric’s peak came on 2009’s Fantasies, which paired needling electronics with thumping drum programming; both it and its follow-up, Synthetica, hit the top 10 on the Canadian albums chart and went platinum in Canada. — Ethan Beck, Pitchfork, 4 May 2026

For power users, this sort of thing can’t help but read as needling, even petty platform quirks. — Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026

In cases of significant thinning, Small recommends procedures like platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy or micro-needling. — Rebecca Strong, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026

Then, again, the needling cold. — Roey Leonardi, The Atlantic, 22 Feb. 2026

He’s repeated that sentiment in countless interviews over the years, but hearing him say it in front of his gently needling bandmates gives it a different kind of resonance. — Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025

Verb

For weeks, Sony Pictures has been needling Mark Zuckerberg with an ad campaign promising that the Meta CEO will love The Social Reckoning. — Andrew McGowan, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026

Like families since time immemorial, the Hollingsworths are prone to needling each other about their love lives or grousing about their parents. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026

Freedom thought Cloud went low, needling him with accusations of trying to win Cunningham’s affection. — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Lestat wants Molloy to tell his side of the story, but Lestat also can’t bear to open up, spending more time needling Molloy than actually engaging with his questions. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 23 June 2026

But as the November election draws closer and Republicans are trying to defend their majorities, Trump is instead needling Congress with his demands and reversals, driving several Republican senators to disparage his actions publicly for the first time. — Mary Clare Jalonick, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026

Russia is needling Ukraine’s European allies with asymmetrical warfare – sabotage and cyberattacks – to perhaps provoke a wider conflict while imposing costs. — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026

The woman needling the Cubs, hands at her head, was the daughter of the Braves coach. — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026