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

Take the ice-dependent polar bear, rapidly losing its food-sustaining habitat and having to perilously adapt by nudging further and further into human spaces. — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026

Sprinkle salt mixture all over outside of the turkey as well as inside the cavity of the turkey, patting to adhere and nudging some into every crevice. — Andy Baraghani, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Nov. 2026

Top-level mathematicians had spent time on it, nudging it forward. — Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2026

Rising grocery bills are nudging parents to try the less expensive version of the stuff that lands in the cart every single week, and plenty of them never go back. — Ashley Lynch, Charlotte Observer, 27 Oct. 2026

The right combination of nutrients (think magnesium, tryptophan, and complex carbohydrates) can actually steady blood sugar through the night, nudging the body towards better melatonin and serotonin production. — Patsy Anthony, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2026

Rounds of streaming price hikes are nudging more viewers to cheaper ad tiers, with significant international growth potential. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026

Want brainwave tracking and real-time cues nudging you toward deeper stages? — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2026

Luna is journeying through your second house of money, possessions and self-worth, gently nudging you toward fair exchanges. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 9 Oct. 2026