Synonyms of nudging

nudging

verb

present participle of nudge

1

as in brushing

to pass lightly across or touch gently especially in passing

accidentally nudged me as they squeezed past

Synonyms & Similar Words

• brushing
• kissing
• touching
• caressing
• shaving
• skimming
• grazing
• stroking
• scraping
• bumping
• patting
• missing
• contacting
• sweeping
• skipping
• glancing
• striking
• swiping
• petting
• bouncing
• cuddling
• loving
• fondling
• ricocheting
• caroming
• sideswiping
• rebounding
• skirting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hitting
• knocking
• bumping
• slapping
• smacking
• slamming
• punching
• banging
• impinging
• impacting
• crashing
• smashing
• colliding
• whacking
• clashing
• swiping
• thudding
• bashing
• ramming
• thwacking

2

as in urging

to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action

the car salesman nudged me into taking a test-drive, even though I had said that I was just looking

Synonyms & Similar Words

• urging
• encouraging
• prodding
• prompting
• pushing
• coaxing
• spurring
• goading
• exhorting
• propelling
• pressing
• egging (on)
• driving
• stimulating
• imploring
• hurrying
• cajoling
• provoking
• beseeching
• pressuring
• rushing
• hustling
• importuning
• wheedling
• nagging
• fomenting
• inciting
• instigating
• stirring (up)
• needling
• adjuring
• blandishing
• soft-soaping
• high-pressuring

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• discouraging
• deterring
• checking
• restraining
• dissuading
• curbing
• braking
• constraining
• inhibiting
• holding back

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of nudging

Fashion has actually been nudging us in this direction for a while. — Georgia Brown, Glamour, 29 Aug. 2026

This is an uncomplicated yarn about a man prying open his heart and nudging other hard nuts to do the same. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

This concludes a much more low-key episode than the pilot but one that keeps its characters in full view while nudging each mystery carefully forward. — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026

While someone off-camera told the riders to keep their hands up and not close their eyes, RAYE excitedly raised her own hands into the air before nudging Jordan to do the same. — Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 10 Aug. 2026

Experts shared some practical tips for nudging your teen in the right direction. — Parents, 10 Aug. 2026

Suddenly, listings could reach far beyond the local neighborhood, nudging open the door to what had long been a niche corner of second-hand shopping. — Zoey Goto, Architectural Digest, 7 Aug. 2026

The instruments and rhythms dance with Lenae’s sinuous vocals, nudging her into odd pockets, uplifting her notes. — Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 7 Aug. 2026

Stubborn inflation, though, is nudging the central bank toward raising interest rates before the end of the year in order to help tame inflation. — ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026