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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Those include removing security gates that people complained rattled when cars drove over the track and notifying neighbors of special events at least 30 days in advance.—
Nollyanne Delacruz,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Families have also complained about children being separated from them.—
Jordan Parker
Aviation,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Dunst doesn’t get fussed about that sort of thing.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
27 Nov. 2025
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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
Verb
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Some trustees saw the enforcement approach as reasonable and quibbled with the details, while others wanted Wilmette to go much further in its restrictions.—
Shun Graves,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
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Those specific numbers can obviously be quibbled with.—
Aaron Gleeman,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Critics moaned when the CFP committee picked the Hurricanes over Notre Dame as the last Power 4 entry into the playoffs.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Jan. 2026
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Strapped to a stretcher in the back of an ambulance, the shooting victim moaned, then screamed.—
Lauren Caruba,
Dallas Morning News,
2 Jan. 2026
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 22 Feb. 2026.
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