niggle
To use, spend, or do in a petty or trifling mannerTo use, spend, or do in a petty or trifling manner.
» I'm fed up with your constant niggling, Mary.
Meaning
5 senses(transitive)To use, spend, or do in a petty or trifling manner.
(intransitive)To dwell too much on minor points or on trifling details.
(UK, intransitive)To fidget, fiddle, be restless.
суети́тьсяsujetítʹsja
(obsolete, transitive)To trifle with; to deceive; to mock.
(UK, archaic, dialectal, intransitive)To walk with short steps.
- argue over petty things
- worry unnecessarily or excessively
Examples
3 sentencesI'm fed up with your constant niggling, Mary.
Your essay was not bad but I have a few minor niggles.
Mary would always niggle Tom over his lack of punctuation in text messages.
Translations
1 languagesBy meaning 1
Origin
First attested in 1599. Origin uncertain, but likely borrowed from dialectal Norwegian nigFirst attested in 1599. Origin uncertain, but likely borrowed from dialectal Norwegian nigla (“to be stingy, to busy oneself with trifles”), ultimately from Old Norse hnøggr (“stingy; miserly”), related to Old English hnēaw (“stingy; niggardly”). More at niggard.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
niggles, niggling, niggled, niggledSynonyms
10 synonymsWord family
3 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle