gnaw

Universal Words verb ~ (away) (at / on sth) to keep biting sth or chewing it hard, so that it gradually disappears: [VN] The dog was gnawing a bone. * [V] Rats had gnawed through the cable * She gnawed at her fingernails. * (figurative) Self-doubt began to gnaw away at her confidence. PHRASALVERBS gnaw at sb to make sb feel anxious, frightened or uncomfortable over a long period of time: The problem had been gnawing at him for months. * Fear gnawed at her soul.