as in slight
so small or unimportant as to warrant little or no attention
only niggling differences between the original Broadway musical and the film version that followed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in complaining
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of niggling
Kim Velsey, Curbed, 29 Aug. 2024
And yet, a niggling sense of loss remains after the season 5 finale; many of Diana’s most important moments and relationships are relegated to a handful of scenes.
—Lauren Puckett-Pope, ELLE, 10 Nov. 2022
Adjective
The sellers got slightly more than their asking price without any niggling 11th-hour negotiations.
—Kim Velsey, Curbed, 29 Aug. 2024
And yet, a niggling sense of loss remains after the season 5 finale; many of Diana’s most important moments and relationships are relegated to a handful of scenes.
—Lauren Puckett-Pope, ELLE, 10 Nov. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for niggling
Adjective
-
The Fed is now projecting headline inflation of 2.4%, a slight increase from 2.3% anticipated in September, and core inflation of 2.8%, up from 2.6%.Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 20 Dec. 2024
-
The tomatoes were fresh and vibrant, and there was a slight sweetness from balsamic vinegar.Forbes Travel Guide, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Alabama complaining about having to schedule easier nonconference opponents in the future for a better shot at making the College Football Playoff is quite amusing.Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 11 Dec. 2024
-
Jones himself did not attend court this week but used his show to continue complaining about the prospect of The Onion wresting control of his once lucrative conspiracy theory factory.Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
The result of the shift could be a real deal of the century: an abatement of the multipronged conflicts raging in the Middle East, a political horizon and reconstruction for the Palestinians and the Lebanese, and some nominal concessions from Tehran on its nuclear program and regional malfeasance.Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024
-
Assad retained nominal control of much of the country with Russian, Iranian and Hezbollah assistance.Victoria Beaule, ABC News, 8 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
My understanding has always been that the relic trade is loosely tolerated by the powers that be (many of whom have some pretty choice relics of their own), because one of the sneakiest ways authoritarian societies thrive is by letting their subjects get away with petty rebellions.Noel Murray, Vulture, 13 Dec. 2024
-
As our profile lays out, the record reveals Billy Wagner as a blustery, bigger-than-life figure who engaged in petty crime and coached his family to do the same.Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
The rock, ringed with black and marked by distinctive white veins and dozens of tiny bright spots, was discovered as Perseverance explored a quarter-mile-wide valley called Neretva Vallis.Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
-
In this apartment remodel, Project AZ knocked down a wall that once created a very tiny kitchen.Rachel Davies, Architectural Digest, 17 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near niggling
Cite this Entry
“Niggling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/niggling. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share