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Synonyms

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.

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.

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
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a person, esp a woman, who nags

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
nag 2 British  
/ næɡ /

noun

  1. derogatory a horse

  2. a small riding horse

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I don’t want to nag, but neither do I want to be a doormat.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 9, 2025

They'll leave with brilliant memories of days and nights together, of wins on the road that bonded them, of a series won, but Saturday will nag away at them forever.

From BBC • Aug. 2, 2025

For all that he did this season, the Mariners’ failure to reach to the postseason and his own inconsistencies will nag at him all offseason and motivate him through workouts.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 20, 2023

Or as Lerner put it in a 2010 interview with NPR: “How do you make moderation sexy, fun and doable without being a nag or a nanny?”

From Salon • Nov. 7, 2023

I hadn’t wanted Ma and Yvonne to nag me again, about not eating so much lately.

From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.