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
Scott Patterson
b
: causing continual or recurring pain or discomfort
He'd had a nagging headache all day.
a nagging injury
naggingly
adverb
There has always been something naggingly sad about Bonds' career …
—Tim Keown
Tim Keown
… something about the book feels naggingly familiar, as if you know how it will end before you start …
—Debra Pickett
Debra Pickett
Synonyms
Examples of nagging in a Sentence
I have this nagging feeling that something will still go wrong
Recent Examples on the Web
Brown is dealing with a nagging hip flexor issue, and he is set to have a second MRI for the injury.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
Advertisement The only nagging drawback to Morris’ otherwise crisp and chilling indictment is, unfortunately, not a small one: an interspersed narrative made with actors, centered on a Guatemalan mother and son making their way into the U.S. and caught in the separation system.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024
Two years later, Dana Reeve was planning a return to singing but a nagging cough kept derailing her rehearsals.
—Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 21 Sep. 2024
With that reveal, the nagging artificiality of the blueberries scent in the theater clicked into place.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nagging 
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Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
Advertisement The only nagging drawback to Morris’ otherwise crisp and chilling indictment is, unfortunately, not a small one: an interspersed narrative made with actors, centered on a Guatemalan mother and son making their way into the U.S. and caught in the separation system.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024
Two years later, Dana Reeve was planning a return to singing but a nagging cough kept derailing her rehearsals.
—Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 21 Sep. 2024
With that reveal, the nagging artificiality of the blueberries scent in the theater clicked into place.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nagging
Dictionary Entries Near nagging
Cite this Entry
“Nagging.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nagging. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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