Dictionary

niggly en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈnɪɡ(ə)li/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From niggle + -y.

Meanings

1. Bad-tempered, especially about trivial details.
   • With so much at stake, both teams were hesitant and cagey early on, the game with littered with late tackles and niggly fouls. 2024 August 29, Alex Mills, “Larne headed for Conference League group stages as Andy Ryan hat-trick secures historic Play-Off joy”, in Belfast Telegraph:
2. Trivial, insignificant
   • You soon discover there isn't time (nor is there any need) to put in the niggly details. The essence of the pose is its attitude or action and a hint of the model. 1994, Douglas R. Graves, Life Drawing in Charcoal, page 153:
   • They'd argue a lot, about little niggly things — and they had never been like that. 2003, Michael Morpurgo, Kensuke's Kingdom, page 5:
3. Pernickety, paying too much attention to small details.
   • Now things are less confrontational but just as niggly. The Spanish examine drivers' papers with elaborate care, causing huge traffic jams 2003, Michael Palin, Sahara, page 16:

Forms