needling 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of needlingnext
as in mocking

Synonyms & Similar Words

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needling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of needle
1
as in teasing
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
2
as in nagging
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

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for needling
  1. teasing
  2. urging
  3. mocking
  4. derisive
  5. begging
  6. bothering
Verb
  • If that’s not disappointing enough, Google is also now teasing that Android 16 will start doing the developer rounds much earlier than usual, which will raise the question as to how Samsung can catch up, given its Android 15 is behind.
    Zak Doffman, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
  • After Perez began teasing the track in earnest on her TikTok in the spring, users quickly latched onto the hook, clamoring to hear a full version.
    Stephen Daw, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2024
Definition of teasing
Verb
  • Duncan, also a staunch Republican, is not only voting for Vice President Kamala Harris, but endorsed her in a speech at the Democratic National Convention, urging other Republicans to follow his lead.
    Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 4 Oct. 2024
  • When consumers receive calls from an unknown number urging them to dial back, hang up, the FTC warns.
    Lindsey Choo, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
Definition of urging
Verb
  • South Park also piled on by mocking her in a recent episode.
    James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Oct. 2024
  • Nasrallah posed as a kind of Che Guevara of the Arab world—mocking his enemies, living mostly underground.
    Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2024
Definition of mocking
Adjective
  • Yet Horse Crazy is one of the best American novels about obsession in part because the narrator mostly dislikes Gregory, subjecting this object of lust to the same derisive interior voice that comments on virtually every other aspect of his life.
    Daniel Felsenthal, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2024
  • Sanders didn’t win either primary, but the recurring debate each election cycle helped create and standardize a set of derisive talking points that remains popular today.
    Constance Grady, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Definition of derisive
Verb
  • Broth ends the video with an emotional plea begging his fans for their help.
    Ash Parrish, The Verge, 18 Oct. 2024
  • This is a begging-the-question fallacy disproved all the time by great popular geniuses like Shakespeare, Mozart, Toni Morrison, Lorca himself.
    Lauren Groff, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2024
Definition of begging
Verb
  • Is the trend of sales taking a route that is bothering you?
    Hitendra Patil, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024
  • In many cases, states have stopped bothering to make legal justifications at all, the Human Rights Committee report warned.
    Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Oct. 2024
Definition of bothering
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near needling

needleworkers

needling

needs

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Cite this Entry

“Needling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needling. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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Nglish: Translation of needling for Spanish Speakers

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