Trends ofnettle
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nettle
(netəl)
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense nettles, present participle nettling, past tense, past participle nettled
1. countable noun
Nettles are wild plants which have leaves covered with fine hairs that sting you when you touch them.
The nettles stung their legs.
...numerous clumps of stinging nettles dotted across the meadow.
2. verb
If you are nettled by something, you are annoyed or offended by it.
He was nettled by her manner. [be VERB-ed]
It was the suggestion that he might alter course to win an election that really nettledhim. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: irritate, provoke, annoy, gall More Synonyms of nettle
3.
See grasp the nettle
nettle in British English
(ˈnɛtəl)
noun
1.
any weedy plant of the temperate urticaceous genus Urtica, such as U. dioica (stinging nettle), having serrated leaves with stinging hairs and greenish flowers
2.
any of various other urticaceous plants with stinging hairs or spines
3.
any of various plants that resemble urticaceous nettles, such as the dead-nettle, hemp nettle, and horse nettle
4. grasp the nettle
verb (transitive)
5.
to bother; irritate
6.
to sting as a nettle does
Derived forms
nettle-like (ˈnettle-ˌlike) adjective
nettly (ˈnettly)
adjective
Word origin
Old English netele; related to Old High German nazza (German Nessel)nettle in American English
(ˈnɛtəl)
noun
1.
any of a genus (Urtica) of annual and perennial weeds of the nettle family with stinging hairs
2.
any of various other stinging or spiny plants
adjective
3.
designating a family (Urticaceae, order Urticales) of chiefly tropical, dicotyledonous plants usually covered with stinging hairs, including the ramie
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈnettled or ˈnettling
4.
to sting with or as with nettles
5.
to irritate; annoy; vex
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈirriˌtate
Derived forms
nettler (ˈnettler) noun
Word origin
ME netle < OE netele, akin to Ger nessel < IE base *ned-, to twist together > net1: from the use of such plants as a source of spinning fiberMore idioms containingnettle
grasp the nettle
Image ofnettle
© Roman Pelesh, shutterstock
Examples of 'nettle' in a sentencenettle
In other languagesnettle
British English: nettle /ˈnɛtl/ NOUN
A nettle is a wild plant with leaves that sting when you touch them.
The nettles stung their legs.
- American English: nettle
- Arabic: قرَاصُ
- Brazilian Portuguese: urtiga
- Chinese: 荨麻
- Croatian: kopriva
- Czech: kopřiva
- Danish: nælde
- Dutch: brandnetel
- European Spanish: ortiga
- Finnish: nokkonen
- French: ortie
- German: Nessel
- Greek: τσουκνίδα
- Italian: ortica
- Japanese: イラクサ
- Korean: 쐐기풀
- Norwegian: nesle
- Polish: pokrzywa
- European Portuguese: urtiga
- Romanian: urzică
- Russian: крапива
- Latin American Spanish: ortiga
- Swedish: brännässla
- Thai: ต้นไม้ป่าใบเป็นขนที่ทำให้ระคายเคือง
- Turkish: ısırgan
- Ukrainian: кропива
- Vietnamese: cây tầm ma
British English: nettle VERB
If you are nettled by something, you are annoyed or offended by it.
He was nettled by her manner.
- American English: nettle
- Brazilian Portuguese: ofender-se
- Chinese: 使恼怒
- European Spanish: molestar
- French: agacer
- German: verärgert
- Italian: irritare
- Japanese: いらいらさせる
- Korean: 화나다
- European Portuguese: ofender-se
- Latin American Spanish: molestar
Chinese translation of 'nettle'
nettle
(ˈnɛtl)
n (c)
-
荨(蕁)麻
(qiánmá) (株, zhū)to grasp the nettle (esp Brit)果断(斷)处(處)理棘手问(問)题(題)
(guǒduàn chǔlǐ jíshǒu wèntí)
(verb)
I instantly regretted my remark, because it obviously nettled him.
Synonyms
irritate
Their attitude irritates me.
provoke
I didn't want to do anything to provoke him.
annoy
Try making a note of the things that annoy you.
gall
It was their smugness that galled her most.
sting
Some of the criticism has really stung him.
aggravate (informal)
What aggravates you most about this country?
incense
This proposal will incense conservation campaigners.
ruffle
My refusal to let him ruffle me infuriated him.
exasperate
The constant interruptions were beginning to exasperate me.
vex
Everything about that man vexes me.
goad
Charles was forever trying to goad her into losing her temper.
pique
She was piqued by his lack of enthusiasm.
get on your nerves (informal)
nark (British, Australian, New Zealand, slang)
hack you off (informal)
piss you off (taboo, slang)
harass
a celebrity routinely harassed by the paparazzi
hassle (informal)
The children started hassling me as soon as I sat down.
fret
The quickening of time frets me.
chafe
Additional synonyms
in the sense of aggravate
Definition
to annoy
What aggravates you most about this country?
Synonyms
annoy,
bother,
provoke,
needle (informal),
irritate,
tease,
hassle (informal),
gall,
exasperate,
nettle,
pester,
vex,
irk,
get under your skin (informal),
get on your nerves (informal),
nark (British, Australian, New Zealand, slang),
get up your nose (informal),
be on your back (slang),
piss you off (taboo, slang),
rub (someone) up the wrong way (informal),
get in your hair (informal),
get on your wick (British, slang),
hack you off (informal)
in the sense of annoy
Definition
to irritate or displease
Try making a note of the things that annoy you.
Synonyms
irritate,
trouble,
bore,
anger,
harry,
bother,
disturb,
provoke,
get (informal),
bug (informal),
needle (informal),
plague,
tease,
harass,
hassle (informal),
aggravate (informal),
badger,
gall,
madden,
ruffle,
exasperate,
nettle,
molest,
pester,
vex,
displease,
irk,
bedevil,
rile,
peeve,
get under your skin (informal),
get on your nerves (informal),
nark (British, Australian, New Zealand, slang),
get up your nose (informal),
give someone grief (British, South Africa),
make your blood boil,
piss you off (taboo, slang),
rub someone up the wrong way (informal),
get your goat (slang),
get in your hair (informal),
get on your wick (British, slang),
get your dander up (informal),
get your back up,
incommode (formal),
put your back up,
hack you off (informal),
be on your back (slang)
in the sense of exasperate
Definition
to cause great irritation to
The constant interruptions were beginning to exasperate me.
Synonyms
irritate,
anger,
provoke,
annoy,
rouse,
infuriate,
hassle (informal),
exacerbate,
aggravate (informal),
incense,
enrage,
gall,
madden,
inflame,
bug (informal),
nettle,
get to (informal),
vex,
embitter,
irk,
rile (informal),
pique,
rankle,
peeve (informal),
needle (informal),
get on your nerves (informal),
try the patience of,
nark (British, Australian, New Zealand, slang),
piss you off (taboo, slang),
get in your hair (informal),
get on your wick (British, slang),
hack you off (informal)
Nearby words ofnettle
- net
- nether
- netherworld
- nettle
- nettled
- network
- neurosis
Synonyms of 'nettle'
nettle
Explore 'nettle' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of fret
Definition
to feel or give annoyance
The quickening of time frets me.
Synonyms
annoy,
trouble,
bother,
disturb,
distress,
provoke,
irritate,
grieve,
torment,
harass,
nag,
gall,
agitate,
ruffle,
nettle,
vex,
goad,
chagrin,
irk,
rile,
pique,
peeve (informal),
rankle with
in the sense of gall
Definition
to annoy or irritate
It was their smugness that galled her most.
Synonyms
annoy,
provoke,
irritate,
aggravate (informal),
get (informal),
trouble,
bother,
disturb,
plague,
madden,
ruffle,
exasperate,
nettle,
vex,
displease,
irk,
rile (informal),
peeve (informal),
get under your skin (informal),
get on your nerves (informal),
nark (British, Australian, New Zealand, slang),
get up your nose (informal),
give someone grief (British, South Africa),
make your blood boil,
piss you off (taboo, slang),
rub up the wrong way,
get on your wick (British, slang),
get your back up,
put your back up,
hack you off (informal)
in the sense of goad
Definition
to provoke (someone) to take some kind of action, usually in anger
Charles was forever trying to goad her into losing her temper.
Synonyms
provoke,
drive,
annoy,
sting,
irritate,
lash,
harass,
hassle (informal),
nark (British, Australian, New Zealand, slang),
be on your back (slang)
in the sense of harass
Definition
to trouble or annoy (someone) by repeated attacks, questions, or problems
a celebrity routinely harassed by the paparazzi
Synonyms
annoy,
trouble,
bother,
worry,
harry,
disturb,
devil (informal),
plague,
bait,
hound,
torment,
hassle (informal),
badger,
persecute,
exasperate,
pester,
vex,
breathe down someone's neck,
chivvy (British),
give someone grief (British, South Africa),
be on your back (slang),
beleaguer
in the sense of hassle
Definition
to cause annoyance or trouble to (someone)
The children started hassling me as soon as I sat down.
Synonyms
bother,
bug (informal),
annoy,
harry,
hound,
harass,
badger,
pester,
get on your nerves (informal),
be on your back (slang),
get in your hair (informal),
breath down someone's neck
in the sense of incense
Definition
to make very angry
This proposal will incense conservation campaigners.
Synonyms
anger,
infuriate,
enrage,
excite,
provoke,
irritate,
gall,
madden,
inflame,
exasperate,
rile (informal),
raise the hackles of,
nark (British, Australian, New Zealand, slang),
make your blood boil (informal),
rub you up the wrong way,
make your hackles rise,
get your hackles up,
make you see red (informal)
in the sense of nark
Definition
to annoy
Synonyms
annoy,
bother,
provoke,
bug (informal),
irritate,
aggravate (informal),
gall,
exasperate,
nettle,
irk,
rile,
pique,
peeve,
get on your nerves (informal),
miff (informal),
piss you off (taboo, slang),
hack you off (informal)
in the sense of pique
Definition
to hurt (someone's) pride
She was piqued by his lack of enthusiasm.
Synonyms
displease,
wound,
provoke,
annoy,
get (informal),
sting,
offend,
irritate,
put out,
incense,
gall,
nettle,
vex,
affront,
mortify,
irk,
rile,
peeve (informal),
nark (British, Australian, New Zealand, slang),
put someone's nose out of joint (informal),
miff (informal),
hack off (informal)
in the sense of provoke
Definition
to deliberately act in a way intended to anger someone
I didn't want to do anything to provoke him.
Synonyms
anger,
insult,
annoy,
offend,
irritate,
infuriate,
hassle (informal),
aggravate (informal),
incense,
enrage,
gall,
put someone out,
madden,
exasperate,
vex,
affront,
chafe,
irk,
rile,
pique,
get on someone's nerves (informal),
get someone's back up,
piss someone off (taboo, slang),
put someone's back up,
try someone's patience,
nark (British, Australian, New Zealand, slang),
make someone's blood boil,
get in someone's hair (informal),
rub someone up the wrong way,
hack someone off (informal)
in the sense of ruffle
Definition
to annoy or irritate
My refusal to let him ruffle me infuriated him.
Synonyms
annoy,
worry,
trouble,
upset,
confuse,
stir,
disturb,
rattle (informal),
irritate,
put out,
unsettle,
shake up (informal),
harass,
hassle (informal),
agitate,
unnerve,
disconcert,
disquiet,
nettle,
vex,
fluster,
perturb,
faze,
peeve (informal),
hack off (informal)
Additional synonyms
in the sense of sting
Definition
to provoke (a response) by angering
Some of the criticism has really stung him.
Synonyms
anger,
provoke,
infuriate,
incense,
gall,
inflame,
nettle,
rile,
piquein the sense of vex
Definition
to cause (someone) to feel annoyance or irritation
Everything about that man vexes me.
Synonyms
annoy,
bother,
irritate,
worry,
trouble,
upset,
disturb,
distress,
provoke,
bug (informal),
offend,
needle (informal),
plague,
put out,
tease,
torment,
harass,
hassle (informal),
aggravate (informal),
afflict,
fret,
gall,
agitate,
exasperate,
nettle,
pester,
displease,
rile,
pique,
peeve (informal),
grate on,
get on your nerves (informal),
nark (British, Australian, New Zealand, slang),
give someone grief (British, South Africa),
get your back up,
put your back up,
hack you off (informal)