1
as in taunted
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
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2
as in urged
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 needled Johnson could have needled Woods about their windy Sunday stroll at Augusta in ’07, when Johnson trailed Stuart Appleby by two strokes, and Woods by one, heading into the last round in which Johnson’s 69 produced another slice of history. —
Jay Paris, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026 American Olympian Lindsey Vonn fired back at critics who needled her for taking a spot on Team USA despite having a ruptured ACL and later breaking her leg. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 Feb. 2026 But there are other factors that needled their way into the evolutionary development of dormancy characteristics. —Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Jan. 2026 Thanks to him and his colleagues Lucas Atia and Janet Teng, there’s a much faster, simpler treatment without an IV bag and an hour of getting needled, and a far more accessible treatment for people for whom simply getting to the hospital might be a major hassle or even an impossibility. —New Atlas, 30 Dec. 2025 The Ukrainian leader also wore more formal attire, something that did not go unnoticed by pro-Trump reporter Brian Glenn, who in February needled Zelensky for his lack of a suit. —Brett Samuels, The Hill, 18 Aug. 2025 Trump at one point needled Zelenskyy over Ukraine delaying elections. —Aamer Madhani, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2025 One ayatollah in particular, Ruhollah Khomeini, needled the Shah incessantly. —Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Jay Paris, Oc Register, 26 Mar. 2026 American Olympian Lindsey Vonn fired back at critics who needled her for taking a spot on Team USA despite having a ruptured ACL and later breaking her leg. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 Feb. 2026 But there are other factors that needled their way into the evolutionary development of dormancy characteristics. —Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Jan. 2026 Thanks to him and his colleagues Lucas Atia and Janet Teng, there’s a much faster, simpler treatment without an IV bag and an hour of getting needled, and a far more accessible treatment for people for whom simply getting to the hospital might be a major hassle or even an impossibility. —New Atlas, 30 Dec. 2025 The Ukrainian leader also wore more formal attire, something that did not go unnoticed by pro-Trump reporter Brian Glenn, who in February needled Zelensky for his lack of a suit. —Brett Samuels, The Hill, 18 Aug. 2025 Trump at one point needled Zelenskyy over Ukraine delaying elections. —Aamer Madhani, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2025 One ayatollah in particular, Ruhollah Khomeini, needled the Shah incessantly. —Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for needled
Verb
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The former South Carolina guard was drafted by the Indiana Fever on Monday, April 13, meaning Johnson and Clark will now be teammates, three years after the former Iowa star taunted Johnson by refusing to defend her in the national semifinal game.— Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026
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Having failed to secure a ticket, I was taunted with pitying one-upmanship by acquaintances who had had more success.— Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
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Others urged buyers to stockpile.— Sean Nevin, NBC news, 24 Apr. 2026
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The two seem poles apart philosophically — when Cherki assisted Foden with a rabona earlier in the season, Guardiola urged him to learn from Lionel Messi’s ‘simplicity’.— Sam Lee, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
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Murphy walked onto the stage and then teased Lee’s love of the Knicks.— John Ross, Vanity Fair, 19 Apr. 2026
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Mythos, a new artificial intelligence model that Anthropic PBC has teased as too dangerous to release, looked at first like a problem for banks.— Parmy Olson, Twin Cities, 18 Apr. 2026
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His instincts, like his techniques, are relentlessly up-to-the-minute; Orsolya is hounded by not only her guilty conscience but also the demons of social media.— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
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Laura Loomer, the far-right influencer and conspiracy theorist who hounded Vinay Prasad before his first departure from the FDA, is now directing her ire at crying babies on planes.— John Wilkerson, STAT, 24 Mar. 2026
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Few people had Tate mocked to go this high, especially if Arvell Reese was going to be on the board.— Andrew Greif, NBC news, 24 Apr. 2026
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Sources at the premiere’s after-party speculated about whether Wintour had given her famous friends the heads-up that they were mocked in a movie that all of Conde had come up to support.— Matt Donnelly, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Cherono nagged the Marathon Chase and a $10,000 bonus.— Michelle Edgar, Daily News, 8 Mar. 2026
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Those kids went home and nagged their parents.— Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 5 Mar. 2026
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Reigns tossed Punk from the announce table onto the ground as the referee begged for both competitors to get back into the ring.— Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
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But a woman in the audience named Amelia thought that begged the question.— John Ramos, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Notably, UnitedHealth appears to have a better handle on higher medical costs – an issue that has dogged the broader insurance industry for more than two years.— Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 21 Apr. 2026
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Over the years, the facility has been dogged by complaints of unsafe conditions.— Diego Lasarte, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Needled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/needled. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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