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
-
Later, the state spent $6 million to seal the brick building, after state workers complained of respiratory ailments and asthma.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Although older drivers are certainly more sensitive to nocturnal blasts of light, drivers in their 20s and 30s also complained about the overall brightness of some vehicles.—
Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
My one quibble with Lisa Rinna on the show is that her iconic hair is looking a little flat.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The only quibble is the show primarily runs on weekends only.—
Todd Martens,
Boston Herald,
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
-
Need to put a filling dinner on the table, but don't have a lot of time to fuss?—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
22 Dec. 2025
-
Dunst doesn’t get fussed about that sort of thing.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
27 Nov. 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
-
Weak to light shaking has been recorded and residents reported experiencing the tremor in a couple of cities, including Danville and San Ramon, according to the USGS DYFI report.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
11 Jan. 2026
-
The tremor was about five miles from Coalcoman de Vazquez Pallares, a municipality of around 20,000 people, about 372 miles west of Mexico City.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
While her intentions may stem from concern, her nitpicking mirrors this Earth sign’s shadow side.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
-
So your first indication of problems can be a client who nitpicks every job, forcing you to return to re-trim the 2-inch patch of sod that the client claims wasn’t properly manicured.—
Kathy Kristof,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This gap between launch and efficient cruise has been a long-standing challenge for hypersonic designers.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Jan. 2026
-
And that's a challenge for a lot of our older adults to navigate.—
Robbie Owens,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Niggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/niggle. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
