as in to complain
to make often peevish criticisms or objections about matters that are minor, unimportant, or irrelevant
you know it drives me crazy when you niggle like that
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in quibble
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in qualm
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of niggle
Wayne Chan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 June 2025
In contrast, Pritzker took a more assertive posture during the hearing in which he was also niggled on off-topics, including Illinois’s transgender policies.
—Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 13 June 2025
New Atlas, 22 Aug. 2025
Some of the tweaks to personnel have been born out of necessity, through suspensions (Nicolas Jackson, Moises Caicedo, Levi Colwill and Liam Delap) or injury niggles (e.g. Romeo Lavia and Reece James).
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for niggle
Verb
There’s been a series of niggling frustrations in my life the last few weeks.
—Wayne Chan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 June 2025
In contrast, Pritzker took a more assertive posture during the hearing in which he was also niggled on off-topics, including Illinois’s transgender policies.
—Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 13 June 2025
Noun
Cambridge Audio appears to have taken minor niggles from its user community to heart and this update is the result.
—New Atlas, 22 Aug. 2025
Some of the tweaks to personnel have been born out of necessity, through suspensions (Nicolas Jackson, Moises Caicedo, Levi Colwill and Liam Delap) or injury niggles (e.g. Romeo Lavia and Reece James).
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for niggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for niggle
Verb
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In recent years, staff have complained of poor working conditions brought on by overcrowding, despite director Laurence des Cars’s 2023 move to cap attendance at 30,000 visitors daily, accompanied by a ticket price increase.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Later that day, the parents of other dancers and talent-show participants complained that my afro had covered up their kids on-screen.—
Questlove,
The Atlantic,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The children, it could be said without much quibble, seemed estranged from their father.—
Joy Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Sometimes little quibbles and small missteps can slide a restaurant from the 25th spot on the list to the 26th.—
Rachel Bernhard,
jsonline.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Fins blew out Buffalo 30-13 to snap the losing streak to their divison rivals and easing any qualms – at least for now.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
10 Nov. 2025
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Many residents favor stricter enforcement of immigration rules but have qualms about the current process.—
Tyler Kingkade,
NBC news,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
As the migrants boarded, a man hoisted one of the passengers in the air, a fussing 8-month-old baby whose face was flushed red from the heat.—
Daniel Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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The final Queen of France was often homesick and would fuss about the performative nature of her aristocratic duties.—
Audrey Noble,
Vogue,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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While some senators expressed optimism about reaching a time agreement, any single objection could stall final passage.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
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The judge can sustain objections to questions if foundation hasn’t been laid by previous testimony.—
Sam Blum,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
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In recent days, tremor patterns at the summit have been consistent with periods of low tremor that correlate with ponds filling with magma and tremor spikes related to magma drainback, according to the USGS.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Nov. 2025
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Weak shaking has been recorded and residents reported experiencing the tremor in several cities, including Moreno Valley, Grand Terrace and Redlands according to the USGS DYFI report.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But that certainly didn’t stop the critics from nitpicking everything from her rocking sleeveless dresses to not wearing hosiery.—
Essence,
Essence,
7 Nov. 2025
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Certainly no other fan base will feel sorry for Blackhawks fans, but man, what Blackhawks fans wouldn’t give to be nitpicking a coach’s decision about who plays right wing on the fourth line again rather than checking out who’ll be available at the top of the draft in June.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Global capability centers have evolved far beyond tech support, but their growth presents challenges for multinationals and Indian cities alike.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
6 Nov. 2025
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However, many share the White House's concern that the Nigerian leadership is failing to meet the scope of the challenges the country faces.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Niggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/niggle. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
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