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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in qualm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of niggle
Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 21 Aug. 2024
Don’t jeopardize your health or well-being to fit a criterion someone else is niggling you to adopt.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 28 July 2024
Jordan Campbell, The Athletic, 22 Nov. 2024
When the lineup had to be rotated to rest players nursing niggles, backups slotted in with virtually no noticeable decline in team play.
—Kyle Foley, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for niggle
Verb
From 2021 onwards, only a calf and niggling knee injury have caused Fullkrug to miss games.
—Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 21 Aug. 2024
Don’t jeopardize your health or well-being to fit a criterion someone else is niggling you to adopt.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 28 July 2024
Noun
But Timber has also suffered a couple of niggles that saw Thomas Partey shifted to right back.
—Jordan Campbell, The Athletic, 22 Nov. 2024
When the lineup had to be rotated to rest players nursing niggles, backups slotted in with virtually no noticeable decline in team play.
—Kyle Foley, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for niggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for niggle
Verb
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Cannon complained to Delta and to the Department of Transportation, which regulates airlines.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
17 May 2025
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That also prompted a number of customers to complain about the issue on social media.—
Catherine Muccigrosso,
Charlotte Observer,
15 May 2025
Noun
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But those gripes strike me as nothing more than minor quibbles.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
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Send your wine questions and quibbles to sethebarlowwine@gmail.com Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans.—
Seth Eli Barlow,
Arkansas Online,
13 May 2025
Noun
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No such qualms concern the rotating infotainment display.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
13 May 2025
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No qualms about booting goal-kicks upfield, aiming for Dominic Solanke and Richarlison up front.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
9 May 2025
Verb
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As Harper, from Queensland, Australia, pet Olive and stroked her face gently, her furious golden retriever, named Cub, sat upright and appeared to frown at his owner for fussing anyone other than him.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 May 2025
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Video footage of the animals shows the eagle fussing at the coyote and trying to chase it off.—
Amanda Kooser,
Forbes.com,
6 May 2025
Noun
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With Republicans going it alone, over the objections of Democrats in the House and Senate critical of the tax package as a giveaway to the rich that will hurt Americans who depend on federal services, leaders will need almost every Republican on board.—
Lisa Mascaro,
Chicago Tribune,
10 May 2025
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It was never sold in the U.S. thanks to the unwavering objections of a resolute reviewer at the FDA named Frances Oldham Kelsey.—
David Armstrong,
CNN Money,
10 May 2025
Noun
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Initial symptoms are tremors or other involuntary movements.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
People.com,
13 May 2025
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The Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory, located a mile away, detected tremors during the set and later confirmed that the crowd had, quite literally, shaken the earth.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
12 May 2025
Verb
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Apple is not legally required to re-admit Fortnite, but the questions now are whether Apple is going to nitpick some specific thing to deny the app that caused all this, or whether Fortnite has somehow pushed the bounds of the results of the case to twist the knife even further.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
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Fans of the game have either enjoyed the series so far, nitpicked a number of differences between them, or both.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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These include the need for practical life skills, preparation for a fast-changing future, the challenge of managing screen time, the importance of affordability, and the search for learning experiences that build direction and self-esteem.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
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Molinar explained in-depth the three parts of the instructional framework: first teach; demonstration of learning; and reteach and challenge.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Niggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/niggle. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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