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
-
Patterson complained about her in-laws behind their backs Erin and Simon Patterson got married in 2007 and, after splitting and reconciling multiple times over the years, separated permanently in 2015.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
7 June 2025
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Occasionally, drivers call the CHP to complain — especially during rush hour.—
Tina Li,
Sacbee.com,
7 June 2025
Noun
-
The new camera setup alongside a bigger screen answers two of the most prominent quibbles Samsung users have voiced about its foldable phones.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
5 June 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,
27 May 2025
Noun
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And anyway he’s got his qualms about being compared too directly to the likes of Willie and Waylon.—
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 June 2025
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There’s also the qualm that once the world realizes AGI has been achieved, perhaps mass panic will arise, or evildoers will seek to turn AGI toward global extinction.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
Verb
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Throughout the footage, Leah, from Fort Worth, Texas, can be seen fussing Lunch Box and fawning over her sweet foster pup.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
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The baby occasionally fussed, and Khalil turned around and smiled at his wife and son.—
Chloe Atkins,
NBC news,
23 May 2025
Noun
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Several Republicans have already expressed objections to the legislation as approved by the House.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
4 June 2025
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Maryland parents fight for right to opt kids out of LGBTQ+ school materials The school case surrounds parents’ objections in Maryland to books with LGBTQ+ characters that Montgomery County Public Schools, which is based in the Washington metro area, added to its curriculum in 2022.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
Noun
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Interestingly, the inability to get out of the chair is not a strength issue, and tremors do not cause the decline in handwriting.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
23 May 2025
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The same goes for equipment that monitors earth tremors before volcanoes erupt.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
20 May 2025
Verb
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As grocers — especially ethnic stores — work to navigate a global trade war, tariffs, and snarled supply chains, they’re also forced to contend with measures nitpicking nearly every aspect of their businesses.—
Ron Fong,
Oc Register,
21 May 2025
-
This is pretty much your standard-issue focus-group scene, with dopey viewers idiotically nitpicking irrelevant details.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
2 May 2025
Noun
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There’s no challenge, no spark, and no obvious next step.—
Dr. Cynthia J. Young,
Forbes.com,
2 June 2025
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Many of those countries have faced challenges and a number have recently ended their programs.—
Tovia Smith,
NPR,
2 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Niggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/niggle. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
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