nag1
/naɡ
/verb (nags, nagging, nagged) [with object]
1Harass (someone) constantly to do something that they are averse to: she constantly nags her daughter about getting married [with infinitive]: she nagged him to do the housework [no object]: he’s always nagging at her for staying out late...
- I'm a formerly skinny guy who has put on quite a bit of weight after my girlfriend nagged me constantly to do so.
- We extend a welcome to all you women who constantly nag your husbands to complete those unfinished jobs, now is your chance to learn the skills yourself.
- He keeps telling me I need to exercise and he nags me about it constantly, also commenting on what I should eat and ways to fight nausea.
Synonyms
harass, keep on at, go on at, harp on at, badger, keep after, give someone a hard time, get on someone's back, persecute, chivvy, hound, harry, bully, pick on, criticize, find fault with, keep complaining to, moan (on) at, grumble at, henpeck, carp at, scold, upbraid, berate
informal hassle
North American informal ride
Australian informal heavy
shrewish, complaining, grumbling, fault-finding, scolding, carping, cavilling, criticizing
1.1 [no object] Be persistently painful or worrying to: something nagged at the back of his mind...
- She hears it every day, niggling and nagging in the back of her mind, reminding her that she failed.
- The only faint worry still nagging at the back of his mind was about his dream.
- But there are nagging doubts about just how durable this recovery really is.
Synonyms
persistent, continuous, lingering, niggling, troublesome, unrelenting, unremitting, unabating;
aching, painful, distressing, worrying
noun
1A person who nags someone to do something.Women put up with it because we don't want to be perceived as nags or, worse still, incompetent....
- What I am getting at is, what if this person was a nag or very critical?
Synonyms
shrew, nagger, harpy, termagant, harridan;
moaner, complainer, grumbler, fault-finder, carper, caviller
North American informal kvetch
Scottish & Northern Irish informal targe
archaic scold
1.1A persistent feeling of anxiety: he felt a little nag of doubt...
- It's a persistent nag, an ever-present question mark.
Derivatives
nagger
/ noun ...- There are plenty of knockers and naggers over there.
- Jessica's parents never seemed relaxed because they were constant worriers and even worse naggers.
- Consider telling someone who is not a nagger or blamer.
naggy
- The local men are also allowed to drench naggy or annoying women with cold water - ‘to chase the evil spirits away’.
- ‘Geez, you sound like a naggy annoying married couple,’ Julia commented.
- You might worry that you sound naggy / girly, but arguably, you have no idea how he would hear such things.
Origin
Early 19th century (originally dialect in the sense 'gnaw'): perhaps of Scandinavian or Low German origin; compare with Norwegian and Swedish nagga 'gnaw, irritate' and Low German (g)naggen 'provoke'.
In the sense ‘to find fault persistently’, nag was originally a northern English expression meaning ‘to gnaw or nibble’ that probably came from Scandinavia or Germany. The first written evidence is from the early 18th century, but may well be earlier, as dialect expressions are often used for a long time before they appear in print. Nag meaning ‘an old or worn-out horse’ is a different word. It may be from early Dutch, or it could be related to neigh (Old English). See also hack, jade
Rhymes
nag2
/naɡ/noun
1 informal, often derogatory A horse, especially one that is old or in poor health: the old nag the lad fetched smelled sweaty...
- He'd come all the way on a poor nag who should have been retired to the pastures a long time ago.
- I'll never forget the look on her face the first time she sat on the old nag!
- They weren't exactly a friendly group - they had hard, cold eyes, and those that rode on horses had only nags.
Synonyms
worn-out horse, old horse, hack, Rosinante
informal bag of bones
North American informal plug, crowbait
Australian/New Zealand informal moke
British informal, dated screw
archaic jade, rip, keffel
1.1 archaic A horse suitable for riding rather than as a draught animal.
Origin
Middle English: of unknown origin.