nag

¹ American  

[nag] / næg /

verb (used with object)

nagged, nagging

1. to annoy by persistent faultfinding, complaints, or demands.

   Synonyms:

   vex, irritate, hector, harass, pester

2. to keep in a state of troubled awareness or anxiety, as a recurrent pain or problem.

   She had certain misgivings that nagged her.

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verb (used without object)

nagged, nagging

1. to find fault or complain in an irritating, wearisome, or relentless manner (often followed byat ).

   If they start nagging at each other, I'm going home.

2. to cause pain, discomfort, distress, depression, etc. (often followed byat ).

   This headache has been nagging at me all day.

noun

1. Also a person who nags, especially habitually.

2. an act or instance of nagging.

   His constant nagging finally got the best of me and I lost my temper.

nag ² American  

[nag] / næg /

noun

1. an old, inferior, or worthless horse.

2. Slang. any horse, especially a racehorse.

3. a small riding horse or pony.

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nag ¹ British  

/ næɡ /

verb

1. to scold or annoy constantly

2. to be a constant source of discomfort or worry (to)

   toothache nagged him all day

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noun

1. a person, esp a woman, who nags

nag ² British  

/ næɡ /

noun

1. derogatory a horse

2. a small riding horse

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Other Word Forms

• nagger noun
• naggingly adverb
• unnagged adjective

Etymology

Origin of nag¹

First recorded in 1820–30; from Old Norse nagga “to rub, grumble, quarrel”; akin to Middle Low German naggen “to irritate”; gnaw

Origin of nag²

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English nag(ge); connected with Dutch neg(ge) “small horse,” of obscure origin; said to be akin to neigh

Example Sentences

Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernández admitted he played through a nagging left groin injury last year, which forced him to miss time early in the season.

From Los Angeles Times

Hernández acknowledged Tuesday that he played through a nagging left groin injury last year, which forced him to miss time early in the season.

From Los Angeles Times

A good job, then, that she pushed away all nagging feelings that this might have been one Games too many.

From BBC

Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have been a nagging worry across financial markets for months, with recent jitters pushing up the “risk premium” in the price of oil.

From MarketWatch

The hot water felt good, even though Mom and Dad were always nagging about not wasting water and energy.

From Literature

Related Words

• annoy
• badger
• berate
• fuss
• hector
• hound
• irk
• irritate
• pester
• scold
• tease
• torment
• vex