Gnaw away at Meaning in English
expression
NAW uh-WAY at
NAW uh-WAY at
Definition
To slowly damage or destroy something, like doubt or guilt repeatedly bothering someone and not leaving their mind.
Usage & Nuances
Often used with negative feelings that persist ('gnaw away at his mind'). Describes slow, ongoing mental or emotional discomfort. Some use it for physical things, but it's mostly figurative.
Spanish: roer - carcomer - atormentarPortuguese (BR): corroer - roer - incomodarPortuguese (PT): corrói - roer - incomodarChinese (Simplified): 折磨 - 一点点消耗Chinese (Traditional): 折磨 - 一點點消耗Hindi: कुतरना (आधी-आधी चिंता करना) - परेशान करनाArabic: ينخر في - يزعج باستمرارBengali: কুঁচকানো - চিন্তায় ভোগাRussian: гложет - не даёт покояJapanese: 悩ませる - むしばむVietnamese: gặm nhấm - làm băn khoănKorean: 좀먹다 - 신경을 괴롭히다Turkish: içini kemirmek - yavaş yavaş aşındırmakUrdu: کھا جانا - آہستہ آہستہ تنگ کرناIndonesian: menggerogoti - membuat gelisah
Example Sentences
Worries can gnaw away at you if you don’t talk about them.
basic
Guilt began to gnaw away at him after he told the lie.
basic
Rust will slowly gnaw away at the metal.
basic
No matter what he did, the mistake kept gnawing away at him.
natural
The fear of failure started to gnaw away at her confidence.
natural
Those unspoken doubts can really gnaw away at a team’s trust.
natural