NIGGLING Synonyms: 101 Similar and Opposite Words

niggling 1 of 2

adjective

ˈni-g(ə-)liŋ

Definition of niggling

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

niggling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of niggle

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

Example 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

Adjective

As the kids grow up and move out, and as your space starts feeling like a little too much upkeep, a niggling thought about downsizing may start to grow louder. — Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 7 July 2026 Their season has been busy, grumpy and overstretched, and pressure has been a niggling, constant companion, particularly at home, but their opponents on Sunday were hapless, soft in defence and muddled in their thinking. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 18 May 2026 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

Verb

For Neal, there was always a niggling concern that fans of the pod wouldn’t return to the series, but thankfully this couldn’t have been further from the eventual truth. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026 Pick’s comments weren’t in response to a niggling analyst question but in his prepared remarks, a clear signpost. — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 16 July 2026 The new calculation, made at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) near Geneva, could help solve a niggling mystery about this particle’s mass. — Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, 10 Apr. 2026 Henry dismisses Yasmin but can’t shake the niggling feeling that his wife isn’t entirely wrong. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026 There are niggling, nagging, familiar concerns, like not taking chances, like being hit on the counter, but our section erupts when Willock scores and then erupts again when his goal is ruled out. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026 The hard part of getting cars to drive themselves is the last niggling 1 percent of reliability. — IEEE Spectrum, 18 Oct. 2016

Recent Examples of Synonyms for niggling

Adjective

Storms could be severe, with a level 2 out of 5; a slight risk is in place.

— Laura Bannon, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
However, recent August polling shows Democrats are making ground on Republicans — still within the poll's margin of error — but with Talarico having a slight edge over Paxton.

— Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of slight

Verb

Videos on social media published last week showed empty markets in Tehran and Karaj, with sellers complaining that their fresh produce is not being bought.

— Leila Gharagozlou, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
The same folks who are complaining about the current mess in college athletics are the same ones who are inviting the chaos through their front door.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of complaining

Adjective

This decision risks a reduction in the price dairy farmers receive for their cull cows and higher profits for foreign beef exporters, all for a potentially nominal decrease in the retail ground beef price.

— Esme Murphy, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
Recent August polling shows the Texas Senate race is a statistical tie, with Talarico holding a slight nominal lead.

— Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of nominal

Verb

Joy Randolph and John Early, as the two Afterlife Coordinators, have a quibbling charisma, but the movie should have done more with all its possible versions of paradise, figuring out how to use them comedically instead of just as easy punchlines.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
When the murder of 100,000 people, many of them women and children, is mentioned or denounced, or when someone dares to use terms such as genocide, ethnocide, ethnic cleansing or similar, most people choose to take issue with the characterization, quibbling over semantics.

— Uriel Kon September 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025

Definition of quibbling

Adjective

Again and again, Bass went after Raman in the pettiest, most personal ways.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
But to build a web of accusations based on false premises and the manipulation of reality in order to attack the Biennale and a film invited to compete is a petty and unacceptable act.

— John Bleasdale, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of petty

Adjective

One of my non-negotiable recommendations is Tonnara di Scopello, another historic tuna fishery turned into a tiny museum and protected cove.

— Megan Rose Murray, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Aug. 2026
Forward-looking brands and retailers are drawing up blueprints for the next demographic frontier — the tiniest tots born between 2025 and 2039.

— Faye Brookman, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of tiny

Verb

Hall wrote in his report that Hamilton lay down in the backseat of the police vehicle, moaning and not responding, prompting first responders to give him Narcan.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 Aug. 2026
Video released by the Milwaukie Police Department shows Descamps sprawled in a hospital bed, his body limp, moaning and drooling, while medical staff stood nearby.

— Brian Mann, NPR, 6 Aug. 2026