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
Relevance
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
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of niggle
Randy Myers, Mercury News, 18 Sep. 2025
There’s been a series of niggling frustrations in my life the last few weeks.
—Wayne Chan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 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
But there remains a niggling problem: There’s too much of a good thing here.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 18 Sep. 2025
There’s been a series of niggling frustrations in my life the last few weeks.
—Wayne Chan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 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
-
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
-
The only quibble is the show primarily runs on weekends only.—
Todd Martens,
Boston Herald,
30 Nov. 2025
-
Neither Israelis nor Palestinians can be satisfied by the reduction of their historical and religious claims to technical quibbles over borders and diplomatic recognition.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
But if Venezuela, after inevitable turmoil in the near term, thrives, perhaps even helping to spread regional prosperity and security, those qualms won’t matter.—
Andreas Kluth,
Boston Herald,
7 Jan. 2026
-
As for the stigma that may come with having used a weight-loss drug, Gaffigan has no qualms about it.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
5 Jan. 2026
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
-
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
-
At a City Hall news conference, the mayor responded to a question about retroactive changes to the 2026 budget, which aldermen passed over his objections last month, by reiterating the package could force personnel cuts.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Jan. 2026
-
During the certification process, members of Congress have the opportunity to object to a state’s results, which triggers debate and then a vote about whether the objection is to be upheld.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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 9 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share