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
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The firing after a nearly 30-year run appeared to surprise Starkey, after reports that Daltrey was not happy with the drummer’s performance at a March Royal Albert Hall gig, complaining from stage that Starkey’s loud playing was throwing him off.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
27 May 2025
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Many complain about a lack of tort reform, unrestricted attorney advertising or litigation funding, all of which contribute significantly to the scam.—
Robert Tyson,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2025
Noun
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Send your wine questions and quibbles to [email protected] Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans.—
Seth Eli Barlow,
Arkansas Online,
27 May 2025
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But, as the European official pointed out, Zelensky’s quibbles and proposed tweaks to Trump’s peace initiatives are of a specific, tactical nature: a revision here, a counterproposal there.—
Joshua Yaffa,
New Yorker,
7 May 2025
Noun
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Related article How to spice up your pantry the Mediterranean way My only qualm is that knowing there was starch added in the sauce, my perception of the dish’s mouthfeel was definitely skewed, but that wasn’t the case for my husband.—
Francesca Giuliani Hoffman,
CNN Money,
9 May 2025
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Take-Two has no qualms with messing with the entire industry as everyone sits around and waits for a GTA 6 release date.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Throughout the footage, Leah, from Fort Worth, Texas, can be seen fussing Lunch Box and fawning over her sweet foster pup.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
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The baby occasionally fussed, and Khalil turned around and smiled at his wife and son.—
Chloe Atkins,
NBC news,
23 May 2025
Noun
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And an attorney representing local developers cited the law in objection to the county’s move to prevent thousands of new homes from being built beyond the county’s development boundary.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
23 May 2025
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The defense objected to the response, and the judge sustained the objection, meaning the jury cannot consider his response as evidence.—
Nicki Brown,
CNN Money,
22 May 2025
Noun
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As with Lionel, David’s trauma is buried deep—his post-war shell shock shown only through a barely perceptible tremor in his hands; his hopelessness only really glimpsed in one close-up.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
22 May 2025
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Cristina puts her career in jeopardy to help Burke hide his hand tremor after he’s shot.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
16 May 2025
Verb
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As grocers — especially ethnic stores — work to navigate a global trade war, tariffs, and snarled supply chains, they’re also forced to contend with measures nitpicking nearly every aspect of their businesses.—
Ron Fong,
Oc Register,
21 May 2025
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This is pretty much your standard-issue focus-group scene, with dopey viewers idiotically nitpicking irrelevant details.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
2 May 2025
Noun
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These include the need for practical life skills, preparation for a fast-changing future, the challenge of managing screen time, the importance of affordability, and the search for learning experiences that build direction and self-esteem.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
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Molinar explained in-depth the three parts of the instructional framework: first teach; demonstration of learning; and reteach and challenge.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Niggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/niggle. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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