niggled; niggling
ˈni-g(ə-)liŋ 
1
a
: trifle
b
: to spend too much effort on minor details
2
: to find fault constantly in a petty way : carp
She haggles, she niggles, she wears our patience down …—
Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf3
: gnaw
: to give stingily or in tiny portions
chiefly British
: a trifling doubt, objection, or complaint
Examples of niggle in a Sentence
Verb
She had been niggled by worry her entire life.
He's always niggling over small details.
Noun
I've had a knee niggle for the past few days.
He has a bit of a niggle in his back.
I have a few minor niggles about the performance.
Recent Examples on the Web
Tom Burrows, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Later though, the conversation niggled at me.
—Rachel Linden, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
Sukhman Singh, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Those niggles might point some people to another watch, but all the other features (including the small, light design and the very friendly $250 price) will make the Coros Pace 4 an easy sell for every runner from the weekend warrior to the aspiring Olympic qualifier.
—Jakob Schiller, Outside, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for niggle
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Verb
Wilson said, from his experience, the footballers turning to sleeping pills were often those with niggling injuries.
—Tom Burrows, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Later though, the conversation niggled at me.
—Rachel Linden, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
All this came without Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, absent with a hip problem and a niggle, respectively, which underlines the depth Arsenal did not have in previous title challenges.
—Sukhman Singh, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Those niggles might point some people to another watch, but all the other features (including the small, light design and the very friendly $250 price) will make the Coros Pace 4 an easy sell for every runner from the weekend warrior to the aspiring Olympic qualifier.
—Jakob Schiller, Outside, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for niggle
Cite this Entry
“Niggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/niggle. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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