niggle
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niggle
- /ˈnɪɡəl/
Rhymes with -ɪɡəl
Where it comes from
First 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.
noun niggles
-
A minor complaint or problem.
The Olympic medal contender's back problem has been described as a "niggle" by the head coach, Charles van Commenee, but Porter's friend and former team-mate Danielle Carruthers revealed that the injury is playing on the Briton's mind.
Similar: quibble, split hairs, cavil
- Small, cramped handwriting.
verb niggles · niggling · niggled
- To trifle with; to deceive; to mock. I shall so feed your fierce vexation , And raise your worship ' s storms ; I shall so niggle you , And juggle you , and fiddle you , and firk you
- To use, spend, or do in a petty or trifling manner.
-
To dwell too much on minor points or on trifling details.
Similar: nitpick, split hairs, cavil
- To fidget, fiddle, be restless.
- To walk with short steps. I can see him now with his one eye closed as he came niggling along, and didn't he just give me a grandfather's blessing!
Translations
Every language
verb to dwell too much on minor points
| Français | chipoter |
|---|
verb to fidget, to fiddle, to be restless
| Русский | суети́ться sujetítʹsja |
|---|
Talk about this word "niggle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/niggle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. niggle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/niggle "niggle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/niggle.Cite this
@misc{niggle_2026,
title = {niggle},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/niggle},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
