Meanings
plural niggles
- A minor complaint or problem.
He declared that it would take until the early New Year for all the faults and niggles to be ironed out, and that the rest of 2019 would be deemed to be a 'bedding in' period.
2020 January 2, Richard Clinnick, “After some alarms, Sleeper awakens”, in Rail, page 471 more example
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.
2012, Anna Kessel, “London 2012: Christian Taylor aims high as Phillips Idowu stays away”, in The GuardianSynonyms: quibble, split hairs, cavil
- obsoleteSmall, cramped handwriting.
present singular third person niggles · participle present niggling · participle past niggled · past niggled
- obsoletetransitiveTo 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
c. 1621, John Fletcher, Philip Massinger, “The Pilgrim”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals) - transitiveTo use, spend, or do in a petty or trifling manner.
- intransitiveTo dwell too much on minor points or on trifling details.
Synonyms: nitpick, split hairs, cavil
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA minor complaint or problem.
verbTo dwell too much on minor points or on trifling details.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Norsehnøggr“stingy; miserly”
- Norwegiannigla“to be stingy, to busy oneself with trifles”
- Englishniggle
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.
More words from Norwegian, Old Norse
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian суетя се
- суетя се (suetja se)to fidget, to fiddle, to be restless
Czech malichernost, nimrat se
- malichernostminor complaint or problem
- nimrat seto dwell too much on minor points
- piplat seto dwell too much on minor points
Dutch muggenziften, peuteren
- muggenziftento dwell too much on minor points
- peuterento fidget, to fiddle, to be restless
- frunnikento fidget, to fiddle, to be restless
Finnish niuhottaa
- niuhottaato dwell too much on minor points
French chipoter
- chipoterto dwell too much on minor points
Hungarian akadékoskodik, kukacoskodik
- akadékoskodikto dwell too much on minor points
- kukacoskodikto dwell too much on minor points
- kötekedikto dwell too much on minor points
- szőrözto dwell too much on minor points
- izeg-mozogto fidget, to fiddle, to be restless
- mocorogto fidget, to fiddle, to be restless
- fészkelődikto fidget, to fiddle, to be restless
Russian суети́ться
- суети́ться (sujetítʹsja)to fidget, to fiddle, to be restless
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with niggle
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
niggle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/niggle
“niggle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/niggle. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “niggle,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/niggle.
Source: niggle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.