niggling

American  

[nig-ling] / ˈnɪg lɪŋ /

adjective

1. petty; trivial; inconsequential.

   to quibble about a niggling difference in terminology.

2. demanding too much care, attention, time, etc..

   niggling chores about the house.

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niggling British  

/ ˈnɪɡlɪŋ /

adjective

1. petty

2. fussy

3. irritating

4. requiring painstaking work

5. persistently troubling

   a niggling back pain

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noun

1. an act or instance of niggling

Other Word Forms

• nigglingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of niggling

First recorded in 1590–1600; niggle + -ing ²

Example Sentences

On a separate farewell podcast for paid subscribers, Maron and his longtime producer Brendan McDonald explained that the relentless workload was tiring and articulated a niggling feeling that the show belonged to a different era.

From The Wall Street Journal

Now they are confronted with the niggling possibility that something similar could be happening on their side of the political spectrum too.

From BBC

The prospect of cuts has helped push world markets ever higher this year, offsetting niggling worries about stretched valuations in the tech sector.

From Barron's

There was, however, a niggling problem: The running premiums on these insurance contracts ate into the short-term returns of Howie’s group.

From Literature

Snoeijs is healthy now, aside from a few niggling hip injuries, and her heart is screened every few years.

From BBC