cavil
About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.


cav·il

verb \ˈka-vəl\
cav·iled or cav·illedcav·il·ing or cav·il·ling\ˈka-və-liŋ, ˈkav-liŋ\

Definition of CAVIL

intransitive verb
: to raise trivial and frivolous objection
transitive verb
: to raise trivial objections to
cavil noun
cav·il·er or cav·il·ler \ˈka-və-lər, ˈkav-lər\ noun

Examples of CAVIL

  1. I don't intend to cavil or compromise.
  2. A customer caviled about the price.

Origin of CAVIL

Latin cavillari to jest, cavil, from cavilla raillery; akin to Latin calvi to deceive — more at calumny
First Known Use: 1542

Rhymes with CAVIL

Browse

Next Word in the Dictionary: cavilingly
Previous Word in the Dictionary: Caviidae
All Words Near: cavil

Seen & Heard

What made you want to look up cavil? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Name That Thing

Take Our 10-Question Quiz

Get Our Free Apps
Voice Search, Favorites,
Word of the Day, and More
Join Us on FB & Twitter
Get the Word of the Day and More