nagging

[ nag-ing ]

/ ˈnæg ɪŋ /

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See synonyms for nagging on Thesaurus.com

adjective

continually faultfinding, complaining, or petulant: a nagging parent.

persistently recurring; unrelenting: a nagging backache.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of nagging

First recorded in 1830–40; nag¹ + -ing²

OTHER WORDS FROM nagging

nag·ging·ness, nounun·nag·ging, adjectiveun·nag·ging·ly, adverb

Words nearby nagging

Nagano, Nagari, Nagarjuna, Nagasaki, nagger, nagging, naggish, naggy, nagor, Nagorno-Karabakh, Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region

How to use nagging in a sentence

Mesler started writing, he got stagnating professional and personal projects off the ground, and it helped him diagnose and fix nagging issues with his feet and knees that held him back.
How One Olympian Trains His Brain|awise|August 12, 2021|Outside Online
Well, nothing aside from constant and nagging while Scherzer lifted the Nationals past the Cardinals.
Max Scherzer and the Nationals overcome a howling wind to end their homestand on a high|Jesse Dougherty|April 21, 2021|Washington Post
He’s on track for his highest career rating in FiveThirtyEight’s total RAPTOR metric, and though he’s dealing with another nagging injury, he’s already accumulated more RAPTOR wins above replacement than in any of his previous seasons.
Lonzo Ball Has Taken A Leap This Season. Will It Be Enough To Keep Him In New Orleans?|James L. Jackson|April 1, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
The nagging feeling persists, even and maybe even especially on Zoom.
Beauty businesses are struggling without us|Melinda Fakuade|October 30, 2020|Vox

Then there is the nagging, ingrained expectation that, even in a supportive heterosexual partnership, the person who is supposed to sacrifice their career to take care of the children is the woman.
The economy could lose a generation of working mothers|Bryce Covert|October 30, 2020|Vox
It's the equivalent of having a nagging teacher or parent telling you to "sit up!"
Lumo Lift Vibrates You Into Better Posture|Gregory Ferenstein|August 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Maybe women should just leave comedy to the menfolk, and stick to nagging!
Juvenile Misogynist Seth MacFarlane Is Not Funny|Amy Zimmerman|June 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The only interesting thing about this video is the nagging question of WTF Avril Lavigne is talking about.
Avril Lavigne’s Dumb ‘Hello Kitty’ Video Is Rife with Cultural Appropriation|Amy Zimmerman|April 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Kaku has little taste for unorthodox views or nagging objections, as they muddy his vision of tomorrowland.
What Will Happen to Our Minds in the Future?|Robert Herritt|March 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The baseball player admitted to using banned products to facilitate his rehabilitation from a “nagging injury.”
Reconsidering the War on Steroids|Jonathan Miller|September 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Could the people of the Clinch and Holston have felt the same confidence, they would have spared themselves much nagging.
A Virginia Scout|Hugh Pendexter
Nagging never cured anything except a tendency toward virtue, and it always deepens neurasthenia.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine|Austin Malley
I'm not doing nothing wrong, and I'm half froze to death, and yet they keep a-nagging at me.
Gallegher and Other Stories|Richard Harding Davis
"She has spent the entire summer nagging at me," Eleanor concluded.
Quin|Alice Hegan Rice
Mike prowled around the Power Section that afternoon with a worry nagging at the back of his mind.
Unwise Child|Gordon Randall Garrett