gnaw
verb
[ nɔː ]
• bite at or nibble something persistently.
• "watching a dog gnaw at a big bone"
Similar:
chew,
bite,
nibble,
munch,
crunch,
champ,
chomp,
masticate,
worry,
tear,
manducate,
chumble,
• cause persistent distress or anxiety.
• "the doubts continued to gnaw at me"
Similar:
prey on someone's mind,
nag,
plague,
torment,
torture,
trouble,
distress,
worry,
haunt,
oppress,
be a weight on someone's mind,
burden,
hang over,
harry,
bother,
exercise,
fret,
niggle,
rankle with,
fester,
persistent,
nagging,
niggling,
lingering,
constant,
continual,
unrelenting,
unabating,
worrying,
worrisome,
troubling,
concerning,
disturbing,
Origin:
Old English gnagen, of Germanic origin; related to German nagen, ultimately imitative.
