nagging

adjective

nag·​ging ˈna-giŋ 

1

: persistently annoying or finding fault with someone

a nagging husband/wife

2

a

: causing continual or recurring worry or anxiety

a nagging fear

This time, the worry is that the housing slowdown will curtail growth before the Federal Reserve gets nagging inflation concerns resolved.

—Scott Patterson

b

: causing continual or recurring pain or discomfort

He'd had a nagging headache all day.

a nagging injury

naggingly

ˈna-giŋ-lē 

adverb

There has always been something naggingly sad about Bonds' career …

—Tim Keown

… something about the book feels naggingly familiar, as if you know how it will end before you start …

—Debra Pickett

Synonyms

• disturbing
• unsettling
• troubling
• troublesome
• nasty

Examples of nagging in a Sentence

I have this nagging feeling that something will still go wrong

Recent Examples on the Web

Meanwhile, Barbora Krejčíková is returning to defend her title as women's singles champion after dealing with a nagging back injury. —Caroline Blair, People.com, 30 June 2025

Whether searching for a nearby urgent care center or attempting to make sense of a nagging headache, patients are increasingly turning to AI as a digital front door into the health system. —Alexis Kayser, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025

The freshman hasn’t played much basketball in the last 15 months because of a nagging ankle injury. —Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 23 June 2025

Jeremiah thinks Huda is nagging and nothing is ever good enough for her. —Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 18 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for nagging

• bagging
• bragging
• dragging
• flagging
• gagging
• lagging
• sagging
• slagging
• snagging
• tagging
• wagging
• unflagging