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
Aarian Marshall, Wired News, 18 Jan. 2026
Later though, the conversation niggled at me.
—Rachel Linden, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
Sukhman Singh, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
The last thing new parents need is an injury or niggle, but for those who are keen to start clocking up the miles, a new study offers some surprising reassurance: running with a stroller may actually lower the risk of injury.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for niggle
Verb
Car buyers who want to limit in-person negotiating, or at least that niggling feeling that a dealership is pulling one over on them, might be soothed by an internet full of information.
—Aarian Marshall, Wired News, 18 Jan. 2026
Later though, the conversation niggled at me.
—Rachel Linden, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
All this came without Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, absent with a hip problem and a niggle, respectively, which underlines the depth Arsenal did not have in previous title challenges.
—Sukhman Singh, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
The last thing new parents need is an injury or niggle, but for those who are keen to start clocking up the miles, a new study offers some surprising reassurance: running with a stroller may actually lower the risk of injury.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for niggle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for niggle
Verb
-
Landlords also complained some tenants took advantage of the moratorium to live rent free.—
Michael Casey,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
-
Local Republicans including unsuccessful mayoral candidate Sharon Beloin-Saavedra urged angry parents to turn out at a council meeting to complain, and there have been extensive Facebook discussions condemning the city budget.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
One small quibble — in Greece, a classic salad does not contain lettuce.—
Jess Fleming,
Twin Cities,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Despite my quibbles with how her character reacts when things really go awry, Kiri’s Evy has a clarity of purpose that holds our attention despite not having that much to do.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
After Friday, Johnson should have no qualms about playing his two rookies together anymore.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Antonio Express-News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The coach has no qualms about dropping him back into the lineup versus the Stars.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Ever the dedicated mother, Stacy runs to her adult daughter’s aid, fussing at her for not using a driver for her errands.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The crime went unsolved for many years, prompting Mason to start making this movie in the early 2000s, and the immediate conclusion to jump to is that the LAPD maybe wasn’t too fussed about it.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Unions have aggressively answered complaints about data centers in ways that executives at tech giants and the development firms rarely do, unafraid to bluntly confront concerns about energy and water shortages, rising electric and water bills, or noise and quality-of-life objections.—
Marc Levy,
Fortune,
2 May 2026
-
Apparently the main objection is that the sight lines on the Green will be affected for traffic.—
Lianne Kolirin,
CNN Money,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Some patients on chlorpromazine developed mild tremors or tics.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Some of the common symptoms that impact movement include tremors in one or both hands, stiffness (also known as rigidity), slow movements and balance problems.—
Mary Eber,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The key point here is to be fast, be clear and treat challenges as rare events for obvious misses, not some sort of default setting for nitpicking.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2026
-
That meant making some hard choices and nitpicking reasons for why one place shouldn't be included.—
Will Richmond,
The Providence Journal,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That’s been a really big challenge with this boat.—
Andrew Rice,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
-
Any changes to the policy will probably draw strong challenges from within the LAPD and the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the powerful union that represents the city’s rank-and-file officers.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Niggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/niggle. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
