no obj.
1- cause slight but persistent annoyance, discomfort, or anxiety使隐隐不安, 使烦躁：
a suspicion niggled at the back of her mind
心底的怀疑使她隐隐感到不安
as adj. niggling niggling aches and pains.隐隐不去的疼痛与不适。
1.1
- with obj. find fault with (someone) in a petty way对…吹毛求疵, 挑剔：
people niggling me for doing too much work.
挑剔我做事太多的人。
- a trifling complaint, dispute, or criticism（琐碎的）抱怨; 争论; 批评。
派生词
nigglingly
adverb词源
early 17th cent. （in the sense 'do something in a fiddling or ineffectual way'）： apparently of Scandinavian origin; compare with Norwegian nigla. Current senses date from the late 18th cent.