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Quibble is most familiar as a verb, but it can also function as a noun meaning "an evasion of or shift from the point" and "a minor objection or criticism." Both forms of quibble settled into English in the mid-17th century, presumably (though not definitively) as a diminutive of a now-obsolete noun quib, meaning “quibble.” Quib in turn may have come from a form of Latin qui, meaning “who,” a distant relation also of our word who.
Examples of quibble in a Sentence
Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2023
Some within the team quibble with definitions of leadership.
—Andrew Greif, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2023
Readers may quibble with some of Jiles’s plotting — a pair of fortuitous meetings, a deflating final twist — but there can be no quibbling with the dramatic tension in her rendering of the chaotic, wretchedly despoiled landscape Chenneville encounters.
—Alida Becker, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2023
But video game enthusiasts, including a sizable audience of Gran Turismo devotees and motorsports fans motivated by Sony’s intensive marketing campaign, are unlikely to quibble much with the film’s limited dramatic arc, making an enthusiastic initial turnout a fair bet.
—Justin Lowe, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Aug. 2023
Blake Mills has the kind of CV, and accompanying reputation, that leaves little to quibble with.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2023
One student quibbled with the teacher’s evaluation.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 22 June 2023
No one quibbles about his ability to light up the transfer portal and build rosters in a hurry.
—Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas News, 13 Mar. 2023
The Astros won't quibble with eight players on the ESPN top 100.
—Michael Shapiro, Chron, 23 Mar. 2023
Brandon Widder, The Verge, 15 Sep. 2023
Our only quibble is that the firmness is the same on both sides, so there’s not a softer side to move up to.
—Jessica Hartshorn, goodhousekeeping.com, 9 May 2023
Of course, that’s a minor quibble considering the reasonable price, but something to keep in mind before purchasing.
—Ashlea Halpern, wsj.com, 21 Oct. 2023
Each one had a notable mechanical quibble that had to be worked out with Swytch’s support staff.
—Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 20 Oct. 2023
There were some quibbles that the structure of the second season meant stars Devery Jacobs, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Lane Factor and Paulina Alexis spent very little time together, though the group road trip to Los Angeles in the finale was a season peak.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 June 2023
Photograph: Quentin Bacon Still, those are tiny quibbles about a fantastic book.
—Joe Ray, WIRED, 6 Sep. 2023
Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff These are quibbles, because the Winsor House experience is lovely.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 2 May 2023
The only quibble: giving a five-year deal to Tristan Jarry, who's an All-Star but has had injury issues.
—Mike Brehm, USA TODAY, 29 Aug. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quibble.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun
probably diminutive of obsolete quib quibble
Verb
1665, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun
1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1
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Dictionary Entries Near quibble
Cite this Entry
“Quibble.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quibble. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
quibble
1 of 2 verb
quibble
2 of 2 noun
More from Merriam-Webster on quibble
Nglish: Translation of quibble for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of quibble for Arabic Speakers
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