1
as in teasing
to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults
we needled him mercilessly for thinking that he had any chance of being the prom date for the school's most popular girl
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in nagging
to subject (someone) to constant scoldings and sharp reminders
quit needling me! I'll take out the trash in a minute!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of needling
Ethan Beck,
Pitchfork,
4 May 2026
For power users, this sort of thing can’t help but read as needling, even petty platform quirks.
—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
In cases of significant thinning, Small recommends procedures like platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy or micro-needling.
—
Rebecca Strong,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
Then, again, the needling cold.
—
Roey Leonardi,
The Atlantic,
22 Feb. 2026
He’s repeated that sentiment in countless interviews over the years, but hearing him say it in front of his gently needling bandmates gives it a different kind of resonance.
—
Jordan Runtagh,
PEOPLE,
27 Nov. 2025
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
23 June 2026
But as the November election draws closer and Republicans are trying to defend their majorities, Trump is instead needling Congress with his demands and reversals, driving several Republican senators to disparage his actions publicly for the first time.
—
Mary Clare Jalonick,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Russia is needling Ukraine’s European allies with asymmetrical warfare – sabotage and cyberattacks – to perhaps provoke a wider conflict while imposing costs.
—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
The woman needling the Cubs, hands at her head, was the daughter of the Braves coach.
—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Then, Metric’s peak came on 2009’s Fantasies, which paired needling electronics with thumping drum programming; both it and its follow-up, Synthetica, hit the top 10 on the Canadian albums chart and went platinum in Canada.
—
Ethan Beck,
Pitchfork,
4 May 2026
For power users, this sort of thing can’t help but read as needling, even petty platform quirks.
—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
In cases of significant thinning, Small recommends procedures like platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy or micro-needling.
—
Rebecca Strong,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
Then, again, the needling cold.
—
Roey Leonardi,
The Atlantic,
22 Feb. 2026
He’s repeated that sentiment in countless interviews over the years, but hearing him say it in front of his gently needling bandmates gives it a different kind of resonance.
—
Jordan Runtagh,
PEOPLE,
27 Nov. 2025
Verb
Lestat wants Molloy to tell his side of the story, but Lestat also can’t bear to open up, spending more time needling Molloy than actually engaging with his questions.
—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
23 June 2026
But as the November election draws closer and Republicans are trying to defend their majorities, Trump is instead needling Congress with his demands and reversals, driving several Republican senators to disparage his actions publicly for the first time.
—
Mary Clare Jalonick,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Russia is needling Ukraine’s European allies with asymmetrical warfare – sabotage and cyberattacks – to perhaps provoke a wider conflict while imposing costs.
—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
The woman needling the Cubs, hands at her head, was the daughter of the Braves coach.
—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needling
Adjective
-
To get a sense of his whole deal, look no further than the half-mocking, half-earnest title of his latest album, Country!
Verb
-
After teasing us for a while, Volvo finally showed off the EX30 for real in 2023.
-
Nike has been teasing its forthcoming partnership with the German team throughout this World Cup.
Verb
-
His advice for a session is to chase whatever task is nagging at you, but resist the temptation to sneak in actual work.
-
His one rule for guests is to chase whatever task is nagging at them, but to resist sneaking in actual work.
Adjective
-
There was also an August 2024 incident at Fenway when Duran hurled a homophobic slur at a heckling fan.
-
Charles Barkley was once spitting mad at a heckling fan, and his expectoration wound up splashing on an 8-year-old girl.
Verb
-
Hendry sang, taunting Austin Theory, Logan Paul, Paul Heyman and even Brock Lesnar.
-
Though suspicious, the recording was not considered incriminating, as Hodel may have suspected his home was wiretapped and was taunting police.
Verb
-
When that didn’t change the safe call, Dalton immediately pointed to the Dodgers dugout, mask in hand urging manager Dave Roberts to challenge.
-
To end the endless copying, Anthropic has joined OpenAI in urging the US to view distillation attacks as a form of intellectual property theft.
Adjective
-
Bolstered by a $10 million advertising campaign, the works were destined to be shown in a series of one hundred and fifty exhibitions and events intended to counter Americans’ derisive views of Mexico.
-
Educators were fired for making insensitive comments about him on their personal social-media accounts; a firefighter in Toledo lost his job for posting a derisive eulogy on Facebook; various airline employees were suspended for disparaging Kirk online.
Verb
-
Speaking about the tumultuous relationship on a 2024 episode of SiriusXM's This Life of Mine with James Corden, Miller reflected on the boiling point between the scandalous affair and the chaos of the paparazzi and tabloids hounding them.
-
Members of the media followed the family constantly, hounding them for quotes.
Cite this Entry
“Needling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needling. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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