nag

nag — 動詞

1. If you nag someone, you speak to them repeatedly about something you want them t

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B1
釋義

嘮叨

不斷催促或挑剔，令人心煩

If you nag someone, you speak to them repeatedly about something you want them to do or about a habit of theirs that bothers you.

例句

Heather nagged her son Marco every morning to pack his school bag.

Heather 每天早上都嘮叨兒子 Marco 把書包收好。

nag + person + to-infinitive for constant reminding

Stop nagging me about the rent — I will pay it tomorrow, Owen told his roommate.

別再為了房租唸我了——我明天就付錢，Owen 對室友說。

同義詞
  • pester

    more about repeated asking than complaining; less emotional tone

  • badger

    more aggressive and persistent; suggests pressure rather than annoyance

  • hassle

    informal; implies bothersome interruption rather than ongoing complaint

反義詞
  • praise

    expressing approval rather than criticism

  • leave alone

    stopping all requests and allowing peace

文法句型

nag + person + to-infinitive

nag + person + about + noun phrase

keep + nagging + person

用法筆記

Often used in the pattern 'nag someone about something' or 'nag someone to do something'. The person receiving the complaints is the direct object — never 'nag to someone'.

常見錯誤

❌She nags to him every day about the dishes.
✅She nags him every day about the dishes.
💡'nag' takes a direct object; do not insert 'to'.

2. If a thought, doubt, or worry nags at you, it keeps troubling your mind and will

2.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

困擾

念頭或感受持續在心頭糾纏

If a thought, doubt, or worry nags at you, it keeps troubling your mind and will not go away, even when you try to ignore it.

例句

A strange doubt nagged at Antonia all through the meeting.

一種奇怪的懷疑困擾了 Antonia 整場會議。

[doubt] + nag at + person — internal worry

The question of whether he had locked the door nagged Asher all the way home.

自己到底有沒有鎖門這個疑問，纏著 Asher 一路回家。

同義詞
  • trouble

    broader and less intense; can apply to people or thoughts

  • haunt

    stronger emotional weight; suggests a memory that returns repeatedly

  • gnaw at

    more vivid metaphor; suggests slow, painful erosion of peace of mind

反義詞
  • fade

    when a worry gradually loses its power

  • ease

    when mental discomfort lessens or lifts

文法句型

[doubt/worry/thought] + nag at + person

[doubt/worry/thought] + nag + person

[doubt] + that-clause + nag at + person

用法筆記

The subject is always a mental state or abstract idea — doubt, worry, regret, question, feeling — never a person. Common in the structure 'something nags at someone'.

常見錯誤

❌He nags at me about the mistake I made.' (Confusing sense 2 with sense 1)
✅A nagging regret about the mistake followed him for years.
💡sense 2 describes an internal feeling, not another person's complaints.

nag — 名詞