niggly

English

Etymology

From niggle +‎ -y.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnɪɡ(ə)li/
• Rhymes: -ɪɡli, -ɪɡəli

Adjective

niggly (comparative more niggly, superlative most niggly)

1. Bad-tempered, especially about trivial details.
   • 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^[1]:

     With so much at stake, both teams were hesitant and cagey early on, the game with littered with late tackles and niggly fouls.

2. Trivial, insignificant
   • 2003, Michael Morpurgo, Kensuke's Kingdom‎^[2], page 5:

     They'd argue a lot, about little niggly things — and they had never been like that.

   • 1994, Douglas R. Graves, Life Drawing in Charcoal‎^[3], page 153:

     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.

3. Pernickety, paying too much attention to small details.
   • 2003, Michael Palin, Sahara, page 16:

     Now things are less confrontational but just as niggly. The Spanish examine drivers' papers with elaborate care, causing huge traffic jams