nag
verb · noun
Simple meaning
Bother persistently with trivial complaints.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
nagIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈnæɡ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Bother persistently with trivial complaints
“She nags her husband all day long.”
To bother or disturb persistently in any way.
To bother with persistent thoughts or memories.
ambitransitive
To repeatedly remind or complain to (someone) in an annoying way, often about insignificant or unnecessary matters.
Worry persistently
noun
A persistent, bothersome thought or worry.
A repeated complaint or reminder.
A small horse; a pony.
An old or over-worked horse
An old, useless horse.
Someone or something that nags.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Bother persistently with trivial complaints
Used this way, nag is a common word with a clearly unfavourable pull. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“She nags her husband all day long.”
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use nag
- “She nags her husband all day long.”verb
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “nag” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.