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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 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
-
Rookies fell out with their bosses all the time, who, in turn, complained about the impossibility of getting good help these days.—
Snigdha Poonam,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Trump has often complained that Japan doesn’t buy American vehicles, which are often too wide to be practical on narrow Japanese streets.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
Those specific numbers can obviously be quibbled with.—
Aaron Gleeman,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
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
-
From the other room, the victim moaned.—
Stephanie Kuzydym,
The Courier-Journal,
15 Aug. 2025
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Niggled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/niggled. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share