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Glite Dictionary
to gnaw at

to gnaw at

7 6.1
To make someone feel worried or less confident for a long time
  • phrasal verb
  • /nɔː æt/
translation icon : carcomer
  • Doubt can often gnaw at a person's confidence, making them second-guess their decisions.

He just, it just gnawed at his innards so much.

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Examples

  • Johanna fights back a wave of panic as fear gnaws at her self-confidence.

    Academic text (2006)

  • I imagine it will continue to gnaw at me until I actually sit down to write it.

    Blog text (11)

  • Day after day, two, three, four, without improvement, began to gnaw at me.

    Academic text (1997)

  • I hate that something is gnawing at you so deeply.

    Blog text (12)

  • But it's not that so much as the feeling of insignificance that gnaws at you.

    Academic text (1999)

  • Dave couldn't even feel the hunger gnawing at him anymore.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • The fear of failure began to gnaw at her resolve, causing her to hesitate before taking action.

  • Worries about the future continue to gnaw at his mind, disrupting his peace.

Synonyms

to erode
vsto gnaw at
83 4.2

Gradually make someone's trust, belief, or support weaker over time

applies especially to personal feelings, confidence, and inner resolve
to eat away at
vsto gnaw at
  • Informal
25 4.4

To damage something slowly over time, for example a building or a person's confidence

is focused specifically on weakening inner feelings, confidence, or resolve
to chip away at
vsto gnaw at
18 4.6

Gradually make something weaker by repeated small actions

happens more passively inside a person, not from steady outside actions
to eat at
vsto gnaw at
  • Informal
14 7.1

Gradually make someone feel worse or less confident

is the same gradual weakening especially of feelings and confidence
to wear away
vsto gnaw at
2 3.8

To slowly remove material by rubbing or long use

is about weakening feelings or confidence rather than physical rubbing damage
to eat into
vsto gnaw at
2 6.8

To make someone feel more and more upset or angry inside

focuses on general weakening of feelings, confidence, or resolve
to naw
vsto gnaw at
  • UK
9.9

To bite or chew something many times until it wears away

deals with gradual weakening of inner feelings, not literal biting or chewing

Antonyms

to bolster
84 4.3

To give extra support to a person, plan, or idea

to fortify
3 5.1

Make something stronger by adding support or protection

How Damaging

to undermine
270 6.8
to eat away at
  • Informal
25 4.4
to gnaw at
7 6.1
trouble
∞ 1.0
to bother
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

gnaw at infinitive
gnawing at present participle
gnaws at third person singular
gnawed at past
gnawed at past participle

Morphology

gnaw + at

The verb 'gnaw' literally means to eat away slowly, and with the preposition 'at' it naturally targets something being affected. This metaphorical extension to feelings or confidence ('to gradually wear down') is directly derivable from the constituents and is a common cross-linguistic image, so a learner who knows the parts would understand it.

Etymology

Gnaw at comes from the image of a small animal slowly gnawing at a piece of wood or rope until it is worn away. So, when something gnaws at you, it slowly 'wears away' your confidence, peace, or courage.