1
as in taunted
to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults
we needled him mercilessly for thinking that he had any chance of being the prom date for the school's most popular girl
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in urged
to subject (someone) to constant scoldings and sharp reminders
quit needling me! I'll take out the trash in a minute!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needled
Verb
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Earlier in December, Pope Benedict XV urged a holiday truce.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
24 Dec. 2024 -
Customers who have purchased this product are being urged to immediately return it to their nearest Lidl store for a full refund—with or without a receipt.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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So much so that Emerson teased her about it.—
Stacy Lambe,
People.com,
23 Dec. 2024
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While Beyoncé has remained tight-lipped about what to expect from the show, Netflix has teased that some collaborators on the album will join the Grammy winner on stage.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
23 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Veteran hands such as James Carville and David Axelrod have been widely mocked for their less-than-accurate takes.—
Hanna Trudo,
The Hill,
7 Mar. 2025
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After posting it to social media, she was roundly mocked by online commenters.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
6 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Vonnegut begged readers to choose kindness, to keep winking through the darkness.—
Devin Kelly,
Outside Online,
3 Apr. 2025
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Fans online have begged her family to give her professional tools like a PC or VOCALOID software.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Questions around public safety spending dogged last year’s budget process and continue to overshadow relations with the mayor’s office.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
17 Mar. 2025
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But the proposal, controversial for its potential impact on the climate, has also been dogged by long-standing doubts about its commercial viability, with ExxonMobil, BP and ConocoPhilips backing out of the project in 2016.—
Max Kim,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2025
Verb
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With the exception of the Russell 2000, which gained 1%, none of the major indices bothered to get out of bed the day after Christmas.—
JJ Kinahan,
Forbes,
27 Dec. 2024
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The technology behind an LLM is sufficiently advanced because the people using it have not bothered to understand it.—
Elizabeth Lopatto,
The Verge,
23 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Needled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needled. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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