NEEDLING Synonyms: 128 Similar and Opposite Words

needling 1 of 2

adjective

as in mocking

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needling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of needle

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

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of needling

Adjective

These were actors who may have earlier been needling at or attempting to push my boundaries. — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026 But for those who find (and in some cases may be slightly mystified as to why) that there is a nagging, needling value to Schrader’s ongoing project of tussling with grandiose dilemmas of transgression and deliverance, there is some new news here. — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 4 Sep. 2026 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

For weeks, Sony Pictures has been needling Mark Zuckerberg with an ad campaign promising that the Meta CEO will love The Social Reckoning. — Andrew McGowan, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026 Like families since time immemorial, the Hollingsworths are prone to needling each other about their love lives or grousing about their parents. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026 Freedom thought Cloud went low, needling him with accusations of trying to win Cunningham’s affection. — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 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!

— Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025

Definition of mocking

Verb

Mahomes began teasing the collection last week with several posts on her Instagram.

— Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026
As part of the panel, co-showrunners and executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau introduced a new clip teasing the second season, alongside series cast members Holly Hunter, Sandro Rosta, Bella Shepard, Karim Diané and Robert Picardo.

— Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of teasing

Verb

Managers change jobs in parallel, trading CRM nagging for exception handling.

— Devang Agrawal, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Turns out, Shakespeare didn’t have to decide, because the story works equally well whether the reader believes the figure is ectoplasm in the castle courtyard or is a psychological manifestation of Hamlet’s nagging conscience.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of nagging

Adjective

There was also an August 2024 incident at Fenway when Duran hurled a homophobic slur at a heckling fan.

— Greg Dudek, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2026
Charles Barkley was once spitting mad at a heckling fan, and his expectoration wound up splashing on an 8-year-old girl.

— Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 22 May 2026

Definition of heckling

Verb

Later in the festival, around 20 filmmakers, among them directors Chung Ji-young and Lee Myung-se, held a press conference in Busan urging politicians to stop using the film as a political weapon and to leave its judgment to audiences.

— Ophélie Surcouf, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Hundreds of mourners later gathered at Rehman Baba cemetery for mass funeral prayers as grief gripped the neighborhood and announcements echoed from mosque loudspeakers, urging residents to join in prayers for those killed.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of urging

Adjective

And yes, the previous sentence is intended as both complimentary and derisive.

— Andy Behrens, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
According to Elsas, the name began as a slight — a derisive label used by a Northern newspaper reporter to mock the poor Scots-Irish mill workers who lived in the neighborhood during a headline-grabbing labor strike.

— Brian Unger, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of derisive

Verb

Wings Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams started the Lakers’ preseason opener and the defensive-minded players flashed their potential by hounding opponents the full length of the court.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
Though some accusations seem to hold water, the headline is his hounding in context.

— Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of hounding

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needleworkers

needling

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Style

“Needling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/needling. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of needling

adjective

verb

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