as in complained
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
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Recent Examples of niggled
Later though, the conversation niggled at me.
—
Rachel Linden, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
Rachel Linden, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for niggled
Verb
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Others have complained of breaks, tears, contusions, and concussions.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Nov. 2025
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Local governments in provinces like Gansu, Guizhou, and Inner Mongolia are offering new incentives after tech giants including ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent complained that Chinese chips from Huawei and Cambricon were less energy-efficient and costlier to run.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Others might tell you that hosting an awards show is a thankless gig, but Bargatze doesn’t seem fussed.—
Lacey Rose,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Sep. 2025
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The woman explained in a post on Mumsnet that her fiancé isn’t fussed about having a big wedding as he’s been married before.—
Latoya Gayle,
People.com,
17 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Those specific numbers can obviously be quibbled with.—
Aaron Gleeman,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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That trove included more than 300 black-and-white photographs, shared via JSTOR, which capture both Lulu the woman and Lulu the clown, though Lulu would have quibbled with the distinction.—
April White,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
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From the other room, the victim moaned.—
Stephanie Kuzydym,
The Courier-Journal,
15 Aug. 2025
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Yankees fans have moaned and groaned about Aaron Boone’s deployment of Williams in crucial situations this season, and it’s only exacerbated now that every game counts in the postseason race.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Aug. 2025
Verb
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As for one consistent complaint heard muttered amid bleary-eyed guests of the former Standard, Schrager confirms the appropriate adjustments have been made.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Nov. 2025
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But the other 3%, often muttered by students prospectively examining transfer applications, is distinct.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Niggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/niggled. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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