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
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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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of needling
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
Where internet trolls often come off as flippant or spiteful, there is a relentless sense of play and mastery of language in even McNally’s most needling posts.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needling
Verb
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In particular, 2023 lottery pick Jarace Walker seems likely to become a rotation fixture after two years of teasing us in short cameos.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
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Country singer Zach Bryan faced backlash after teasing a song with a lyric about ICE raids.—
Audrey Gibbs,
Nashville Tennessean,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Neither Winter nor Reeves cares much if audiences buy tickets expecting more Bill and Ted good times, only to be confronted with Beckett’s nagging existentialism instead.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
1 Oct. 2025
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Napier’s playcalling has been the focus of most outside criticism, but the lack of offensive continuity each game may be the largest issue nagging Florida.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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To get a sense of his whole deal, look no further than the half-mocking, half-earnest title of his latest album, Country!—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Upon further review, Bears defensive back Tyrique Stevenson could be seen taunting the crowd as the play started, mere seconds before Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels completed the 52-yard touchdown to get his team the win.—
Gabe Smallson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
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These included letters from BTK himself, taunting police on being unable to catch him.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Some of the survivors have been urging authorities for more than five years to bring him to justice.—
Meena Duerson,
CNN Money,
11 Oct. 2025
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Ellison's office's lack of substantive response to the ultimatum comes despite the fact that hundreds of Minnesota school board members penned an open letter urging the state to comply with Trump and change its policies to keep males out of girls sports.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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McConnell got to his spots easily for pull-up jumpers and picked Dillingham clean after hounding him in the backcourt to force one of the second-year point guard’s three turnovers.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
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The former is the owner of a New York City hotspot; the latter is a man on the run from loan sharks, with heaps of personal issues and bad debts hounding him.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Vice President Vance appeared on FOX News Channel’s The Ingraham Angle hours after the heckling incident, telling the host about visiting with the national guardsmen and discussing recent changes to the city, while briefly mentioning the protesters.—
Jillian Frankel,
People.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Or that the hamster her daughter kept begging, begging, begging Linda to get turns out to be a raging, biting terror?—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
10 Oct. 2025
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There’s a brilliant scene in which Linda unspools a throwdown rant at O’Brien’s character, begging him to help her but not willing to meet him halfway on the patient’s couch.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Needling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needling. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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