nagging

[nag-ing]

adjective

1. continually faultfinding, complaining, or petulant.

   a nagging parent.

2. persistently recurring; unrelenting.

   a nagging backache.

Other Word Forms

• naggingness noun
• unnagging adjective
• unnaggingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of nagging¹

First recorded in 1830–40; nag ¹ + -ing ²

Example Sentences

In his Thursday speech to an economics club in the suburbs of Minneapolis, Barr emphasized his nagging concerns about the direction of inflation.

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The more an image proliferates in the world, the more nagging it is, and naturally, our brains twist these repetitive ideas into humor to blunt their obnoxiousness.

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My house is pretty needy—nagging about weeds, hinting it wants a pergola.

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“I just remember sound effects — or specifically haunted mansion albums were just around. It was a little bit of a nagging whim. Like, ‘Huh, whatever happened to those?

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Much of their lineup was either on the injured list or scuffling in the wake of previous, nagging injuries.

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Related Words

• aching 
• agonizing 
• excruciating 
• grievous 
• inflamed www.thesaurus.com
• severe 
• terrible 
• throbbing 
• troublesome