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
Mark Carey, New York Times, 11 July 2025
Either side of that knock and a muscle niggle in December, Fati has been unable to convince Flick of his worth as the German revealed in a prematch press conference to preview Wednesday's 5-1 Copa del Rey last 16 win over Real Betis.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for niggle
Verb
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
Either side of that knock and a muscle niggle in December, Fati has been unable to convince Flick of his worth as the German revealed in a prematch press conference to preview Wednesday's 5-1 Copa del Rey last 16 win over Real Betis.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
Noun
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
See All Example Sentences for niggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for niggle
Verb
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On a StudBudz stream, Courtney Williams complained about having to share space at the team’s practice area, particularly when players and other attendees of the recreation center need to shower.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Roman complains about pain in his feet, and Dennis offers him a foot massage.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Of course, these are minor quibbles, proposed by a man (strike one) obsessed with politics (strike two).—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Aug. 2025
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One quibble: the notable lack of San Diego beers made this a bittersweet read.—
Peter Rowe,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 July 2025
Noun
-
Other Republicans declined to criticize the boat strike on Monday, with none expressing qualms about an operation whose legal rationale has drawn skepticism from experts.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
And despite Paris’ qualms with the film, Michael does otherwise have the backing of the Jackson estate.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This was the mid 1980s and tandem skydiving hadn’t been popularized yet, so his father, Roger, adjusted accordingly by stuffing carpet padding into the leg pads to stop him from fussing.—
Angelina Liu,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Inside, Seán glanced briefly away from the television as the women fussed at Orla’s return.—
Anne Enright,
New Yorker,
27 July 2025
Noun
-
The objections that stopped earlier attempts are now dissolving.—
Sandy Peng,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Libraries received only 12 formal objections since 2021 Changes brought by the supervisors' stand in contrast to how library administrators historically have dealt with book objections.—
Taylor Seely,
AZCentral.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Weak shaking was observed in Glenbrook and the surrounding area, where several residents reported experiencing the tremor, according to the USGS DYFI report.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
5 Sep. 2025
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Residents of the Nurgal district of Kunar have left their homes to live in tents, on the surrounding high land near a river, or in the open, for fear of more tremors.—
Mohammad Yunus Yawar,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That might seem like nitpicking, except this is a franchise that has had the luxury of starting-caliber linemen as reserves.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
17 Aug. 2025
-
If there are things to nitpick, their film rejects the idea of the nitpicking.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
9 Aug. 2025
Noun
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This online presence includes social media platforms used for propaganda, communication and recruitment, creating a challenge for governments and platforms alike to manage the spread of extremist content in hopes of preventing potential violence.—
Richard Frankel,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
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Having spent years working tirelessly in pursuit of greatness for himself, transitioning into a leadership mindset proved to be a challenge.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Niggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/niggle. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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