niggle

1 of 2

verb

nig·gle ˈni-gəl

niggled; niggling ˈni-g(ə-)liŋ

Synonyms of niggle next

intransitive verb

: trifle

: to spend too much effort on minor details

: to find fault constantly in a petty way : carp

she haggles, she niggles, she wears out our patience—

Virginia Woolf

: gnaw

transitive verb

: to give stingily or in tiny portions

niggler

ˈni-g(ə-)lər

noun

niggle

2 of 2

noun

chiefly British

: a trifling doubt, objection, or complaint

Examples of niggle in a Sentence

Verb She had been niggled by worry her entire life. He's always niggling over small details. Noun I've had a knee niggle for the past few days. He has a bit of a niggle in his back. I have a few minor niggles about the performance.

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

Verb

At first, the directive seemed plausible, even though the voice message left me with a niggling doubt. —

Pankaj Vasani, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024 From 2021 onwards, only a calf and niggling knee injury have caused Fullkrug to miss games. —

Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 21 Aug. 2024

Noun

But Timber has also suffered a couple of niggles that saw Thomas Partey shifted to right back. —

Jordan Campbell, The Athletic, 22 Nov. 2024 When the lineup had to be rotated to rest players nursing niggles, backups slotted in with virtually no noticeable decline in team play. —

Kyle Foley, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for niggle