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

• discomforting
• discomposing
• disquieting
• distressing
• disturbing
• nasty
• perturbing
• troublesome
• troubling
• troublous
• unsettling
• upsetting
• worrisome

Examples of nagging in a Sentence

I have this nagging feeling that something will still go wrong

Recent Examples on the Web

In other team news, goalkeeper Drake Callender is expected to travel to Atlanta and could make his first appearance all season after a nagging adductor injury. —Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 15 Mar. 2025

But lethargy has been nagging at them again this week, in defeat and in victory. —Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2025

And even if the choice is a solid one, there is the nagging issue of technology integration. —Michael Pink, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025

From the first of her training in New Mexico, life became a nagging series of awful decisions to this dog. —Frank C. Hibben, Outdoor Life, 27 Feb. 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