Word of the Day:

February 27, 2026

nettle

verb NET-ul

What it Means

To nettle someone is to make them angry or annoyed.

// Though he tried to maintain a friendly tone, the town official was clearly nettled by the reporter's suggestion that the town was at fault.

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Nettle in Context

"I can't help but be reminded of an idiom that irked me no end during times of familial stress ... : 'Use it or lose it.' The message being that if a skill or resource is not regularly utilised, over time, we will lose it. As nettled as I was by it, I now feel obliged to acknowledge the obvious truth behind the catchphrase." — Gwen Loughman, The Journal (Ireland), 21 Aug. 2025

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Did You Know?

If you've ever brushed against nettles, you know those plants have sharp bristles that can leave you smarting and itching. The painful and irritating rash that nettles cause can last for days, but at least it is a rash with a linguistic silver lining. The discomfort caused by nettles can serve to remind one that the verb nettle is a synonym of irritate. Nettle originated as a plant name that we can trace to the Old English word netel. Eventually, people likened the persistent stinging itch caused by the plant to the nagging aggravation of being annoyed, and nettle joined the likes of vex, peeve, and irk in describing such little miseries.

Test Your Vocabulary

What four-letter word starting with p can be used as a verb to mean "to prod or jab" and as a noun to refer to a poisonous American perennial herb with white flowers and dark purple juicy berries?

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