cavil 1 of 2

verb

ˈka-vəl How to pronounce cavil (audio)
Definition of cavilnext
as in to complain
to make often peevish criticisms or objections about matters that are minor, unimportant, or irrelevant caviled for hours about a single sentence

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cavil

2 of 2

noun

as in quibble

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cavil
Verb
However, the actual interiors of this four-bedroom home are nothing to cavil at. — Kelly Corbett, House Beautiful, 7 Oct. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cavil
  1. complain
  2. quibble
  3. nitpick
  4. quarrel
  5. fuss
  6. doubt
  7. moan
  8. dispute
Verb
  • Someone else even complained about the self-clean feature ruining their appliance.
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Nov. 2026
  • By July, morale among immigration officers had dipped below its nadir during the Biden Administration, with agents now complaining of being overextended, inundated with novice recruits, and undermined by inflammatory rhetoric from on high.
    — Francisco Cantú, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of complain
Noun
  • Maybe that’s an absurd quibble, though, for a series that is proudly manufactured from the very beginning.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2026
  • My only quibble is that the fan gets loud, even for lightweight games such as The Roottrees Are Dead.
    — Marshall Honorof, PC Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of quibble
Verb
  • After decades of debate — and months of nitpicking a draft map released earlier this year — every house, business and government building was assigned its final number in September.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • This can lead to nitpicking as opposed to harnessing important details that can lead to practical solutions.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of nitpick
Noun
  • In the first incident, a 47-year-old man was stabbed multiple times in the upper body during a quarrel with his killer outside a Bronx homeless shelter on Sedgwick Ave.
    — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • When a quarrel over an inheritance revives old hostilities, their relationship comes under pressure from greed and treachery in a conflict not of their making.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of quarrel
Verb
  • Perhaps only a pedant—or a hypocrite—would fuss about that kind of imprecision.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026
  • If the offensive line’s healthy again, RB Saquon Barkley will ramble again, broadening QB Jalen Hurts’ margin for error and being fussed at by the coaching staff.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of fuss
Noun
  • Gabi is much younger in his experience but without doubt can deliver.
    — Morgan Korn, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Yet Saudi analysts have accelerated calls for a diversification of military supply chains and even nuclear energy endeavors amid doubts toward Washington's security commitments.
    — Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of doubt
Verb
  • It's been a big few months for Austin Abrams moaning and groaning his way through some of the worst situations imaginable.
    — Megan McCluskey, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • For a cold moment the silence locked a grip on our table, though it was broken, at the edges, by the golf commentators moaning and harrumphing, Rory McIlroy having had a canary on a seventeenth fairway somewhere this championship Sunday.
    — Kevin Barry, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of moan
Noun
  • Heemeyer owned a muffler shop in the town and had been engaged in a long-running series of property and zoning disputes with local authorities.
    — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Having been through the NBA and NFL lockouts of 2011 and other labor disputes, McKenzie recalled just how much of a rush there can be on supplementing income if paychecks don’t resume.
    — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of dispute

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cavil
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Cite this Entry

“Cavil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cavil. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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