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
as in quibble
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cavil
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2021
However, the actual interiors of this four-bedroom home are nothing to cavil at.
—Kelly Corbett, House Beautiful, 7 Oct. 2020
Verb
Naysayers often cavil that California’s economic growth depends almost entirely on Silicon Valley and the capital gains income of its wealthiest residents, but its primacy in high technology encompasses fields outside Northern California, such as biotech.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2021
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
Verb
-
Patterson complained about her in-laws behind their backs Erin and Simon Patterson got married in 2007 and, after splitting and reconciling multiple times over the years, separated permanently in 2015.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
7 June 2025
-
Occasionally, drivers call the CHP to complain — especially during rush hour.—
Tina Li,
Sacbee.com,
7 June 2025
Noun
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Send your wine questions and quibbles to sethebarlowwine@gmail.com Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans.—
Seth Eli Barlow,
Arkansas Online,
27 May 2025
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But, as the European official pointed out, Zelensky’s quibbles and proposed tweaks to Trump’s peace initiatives are of a specific, tactical nature: a revision here, a counterproposal there.—
Joshua Yaffa,
New Yorker,
7 May 2025
Verb
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As grocers — especially ethnic stores — work to navigate a global trade war, tariffs, and snarled supply chains, they’re also forced to contend with measures nitpicking nearly every aspect of their businesses.—
Ron Fong,
Oc Register,
21 May 2025
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This is pretty much your standard-issue focus-group scene, with dopey viewers idiotically nitpicking irrelevant details.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
2 May 2025
Noun
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Paramount Pictures Cohen et al. give a shoutout in their introduction to Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, specifically the longstanding quarrel between the people of Lilliput and Blefuscu on the best orientation for cracking an egg.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
ArsTechnica,
26 May 2025
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The whole saga, with Zelenskyy risking U.S. support through his quarrel with Trump before ultimately backing down, demonstrates how unprepared the Ukrainian leader was to engage with the new administration.—
Evan Nierman,
Baltimore Sun,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Throughout the footage, Leah, from Fort Worth, Texas, can be seen fussing Lunch Box and fawning over her sweet foster pup.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
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The baby occasionally fussed, and Khalil turned around and smiled at his wife and son.—
Chloe Atkins,
NBC news,
23 May 2025
Noun
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While some states, including Mississippi, have backed calls to divest public pensions from China, the southern state’s most recent asset disclosures cast some doubt over its commitment to doing so.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2025
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There is little doubt about where Fils will want to play.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Verb
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There’s no point moaning without offering some kind of solution.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
12 May 2025
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Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Erik Windsor said fire crews removed a manhole cover in the general area of the storm drain opening, inserted a powerful listening device and heard moaning.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Phan was convicted of shooting up a high school graduation party after a dispute, killing an 18-year-old and a 15-year-old.—
Greg Wehner , Bill Melugin,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2025
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Officials from the United States and China met in London to talk about a range of different disputes that are separating them.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cavil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cavil. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
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