niggle

• Verbe exprimant une irritation légère mais persistante, ou le fait de critiquer ou de s'inquiéter à propos de détails insignifiants.

A verb used to express the act of causing slight but persistent annoyance, discomfort, or worry, or to find fault with trivial matters.

1. Worry unnecessarilyC1informalbritish

   To cause slight but persistent worry or discomfort, often about minor details.

   Préoccuper de façon persistante et mineure

   • A small doubt niggled at the back of his mind.
   • She niggled over the wording of the email for hours.
   • The thought that he might have forgotten something niggled him all day.

   Synonymesannoybotherfretgnawirritatenagrankletroubleworry

   Antonymescomfortreassure

2. Argue over petty thingsC1informalbritish

   To find fault or argue about trivial matters.

   Chercher querelle à propos de vétilles

   • They spent the whole meeting niggling about the budget for office supplies.
   • Stop niggling over who gets the bigger slice of cake.
   • He tends to niggle about minor grammatical errors in casual conversation.

   Synonymesbickercarpcavilfussnitpickquibblesquabble

   Antonymesagreeconcede