as in to complain
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
1
as in quibble
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in qualm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of niggle
Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 21 Aug. 2024
Don’t jeopardize your health or well-being to fit a criterion someone else is niggling you to adopt.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 28 July 2024
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
Verb
From 2021 onwards, only a calf and niggling knee injury have caused Fullkrug to miss games.
—Roshane Thomas, The Athletic, 21 Aug. 2024
Don’t jeopardize your health or well-being to fit a criterion someone else is niggling you to adopt.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 28 July 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for niggle
Verb
-
Pundits complained last year’s Cannes was a light affair, but that had to do with the bottleneck created by the strikes, for one.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2025
-
While speaking at a dinner hosted by the National Republican Congressional Committee on Tuesday, Trump complained over how the U.S. doesn’t manufacturer its own pharmaceuticals stating that tariffs on these products would be forthcoming.—
Joseph Choi,
The Hill,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
But that’s a minor quibble about a kitchen that otherwise exudes competence.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2025
-
And at that point, why quibble over which exact rules got broken?—
Kelsey Piper,
Vox,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Taormina is much stricter with a boss who plays favorites and has no qualms reassigning staff based on her own whims.—
Eddie Mouradian,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2025
-
There are few qualms over photorealistic images of a cup on a table, but great kerfuffles follow a fake image of the Pope or of Rafah.—
Emmanuel Iduma,
ARTnews.com,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
No crying or fussing or squirming.—
Danielle Pergament,
SELF,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Really good, and if you’re not fussed about mod cons or hybrid tech, one can be sat on your driveway for just £18,850 ($24,388).—
Matthew MacConnell,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Provide 7 realistic objections or reasons for apathy that typical customers might have.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2025
-
There has never been an objection to describing this highly brutal, murderous conduct in words, nor did anyone object to this office when such crime scene images were recently shown on a Netflix documentary.—
Emily Shapiro,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
On Tuesday, the Denver Nuggets made headlines across the NBA by parting ways with both their championship-winning head coach, Michael Malone, and general manager, Calvin Booth—a move that surprised many and sent tremors through the league.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Volunteers and witnesses contacted by CNN reported hearing or seeing multiple air strikes in different areas of Myanmar in the days immediately following the tremor.—
Ross Adkin,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The quarterback position, given its importance in football, is very easy to nitpick for NFL scouts.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Apr. 2025
-
Rivals can nitpick details in the paperwork and file challenges that sometimes force elections officials to review hundreds of signatures per candidate.—
Joe Mahr,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
From wearable devices to education services, these young trailblazers are solving global challenges with innovative products and platforms.—
Brianne Garrett,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
-
This intricate conceit poses challenges for modern audiences.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Niggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/niggle. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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