nag

¹

[ nag ]

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 by at ):

   If they start nagging at each other, I'm going home.

2. to cause pain, discomfort, distress, depression, etc. (often followed by at ):

   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

[ nag ]

noun

1. an old, inferior, or worthless horse.
2. Slang. any horse, especially a racehorse.
3. a small riding horse or pony.

nag

¹

/ næɡ /

verb

1. to scold or annoy constantly
2. whenintr, often foll by at to be a constant source of discomfort or worry (to)

   toothache nagged him all day

noun

1. a person, esp a woman, who nags

nag

²

/ næɡ /

noun

1. derogatory.
   a horse
2. a small riding horse

Derived Forms

• ˈnagger, noun
• ˈnaggingly, adverb

Other Word Forms

• un·nagged adjective

Word History and Origins

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of nag¹

C19: of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish nagga to gnaw , irritate, German nagen

Origin of nag²

C14: of Germanic origin; related to neigh

Example Sentences

The burden had lifted, never again would we be able to ask the questions that had nagged him for more than a decade.

From BBC

Two older brothers had been cross-country and track athletes at Tesoro, so his parents kept nagging him to stay open-minded.

From Los Angeles Times

A few doubts nag him, such as: what are he and his team accomplishing by sorting random numbers?

From Salon

It meant Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic needed to sit out because of sore ankles, Jarred Vanderbilt had to rest an injured groin and Dorian Finney-Smith was out because of nagging ankle issues.

From Los Angeles Times

The kind of soup you try to recreate over the years, and each time, there’s a nagging feeling that something’s missing: Was it the produce grew out back?

From Salon

Related Words

• annoy
• badger
• berate
• fuss
• hector
• hound
• irk
• irritate
• pester
• scold
• tease
• torment
• vex