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   Nag

   /naɡ/

   

   verb

   • 1. annoy or irritate (a person) with persistent fault-finding or continuous urging: "she constantly nags her daughter about getting married" Similar harasskeep on atgo on atharp on atbadgerkeep aftergive someone a hard timeget on someone's backpersecutechivvyhoundharrybullypick oncriticizefind fault withkeep complaining tomoan (on) atgrumble athenpeckcarp atscoldupbraidberateinformal:hasslerideheavy
   • ▪ be persistently painful, troublesome, or worrying to: "something nagged at the back of his mind"

   noun

   • 1. a person who nags someone.
   • ▪ a persistent feeling of anxiety: "he felt once again that little nag of doubt"

   Word Origin early 18th century (originally dialect in the sense ‘gnaw’): perhaps of Scandinavian origin; compare with Norwegian and Swedish nagga ‘gnaw, irritate’. The sense ‘harass constantly’ dates from the early 19th century.

   Derivatives

   • 1. nagger noun
   • 2. naggy adjective

   Scrabble Points: 4

   • N

     1

   • A

     1

   • G

     2

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