variants
or cavilling
as in critical
given to making or expressing unfavorable judgments about things
a caviling theater critic who has yet to see a play she likes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
or cavilling
as in complaining
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for caviling
Adjective
-
Having access to up-to-the-minute information and the ability to pivot plans rapidly has become a critical asset in ensuring seamless travel experiences.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Mar. 2026 -
The same long-term planning that diversified the economy — non-oil activities now account for more than 77% of GDP — also ensured that critical logistics, energy, and trade systems were built with strategic redundancy.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Paktyawal began complaining of shortness of breath and chest pains while being held in a holding room at the Dallas ICE field office on Friday evening and was taken to the hospital to receive breathing treatment, the agency said.—
Aarón Torres,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Many are complaining about their local property tax.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
So much of the new sobriety flex is anathema to the captious alcoholics of 12-step groups.—
Virginia Heffernan,
Wired,
19 Apr. 2022
-
That a right-wing party traditionally captious about American patriotism did not react heatedly to evidence of Russian interference in US elections is bizarre.—
Darryl Pinckney,
The New York Review of Books,
5 Nov. 2020
Verb
-
Trump’s carping notwithstanding, economic growth spiked during Powell’s first year to 3 percent, the highest since the mid-2000s, and wages rose at the fastest rate since before the financial crisis.—
Roger Lowenstein,
The Atlantic,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Should the pattern hold true throughout the long march to the Super Bowl, nobody’s going to be carping about the official headcount.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
After learning the risks and dangers of the Colorado Rockies’ backcountry from a loving but complicated mother, Zach Fisher, a sensitive 12-year-old, joins Bram, his hypercritical father, on a father/son ski trip.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
-
And while the shoes’ combination of hypercritical foams and carbon fiber is primarily intended for race days, technology tends to trickle down to sneakers for every day, recovery and tempo runs — creating a ripple effect across the marketplace.—
Stephen Garner,
Footwear News,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Joy Randolph and John Early, as the two Afterlife Coordinators, have a quibbling charisma, but the movie should have done more with all its possible versions of paradise, figuring out how to use them comedically instead of just as easy punchlines.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
-
When the murder of 100,000 people, many of them women and children, is mentioned or denounced, or when someone dares to use terms such as genocide, ethnocide, ethnic cleansing or similar, most people choose to take issue with the characterization, quibbling over semantics.—
Uriel Kon
September 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Ever the dedicated mother, Stacy runs to her adult daughter’s aid, fussing at her for not using a driver for her errands.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Your son is fussing in his car seat.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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One minute later, Pedro Neto was yellow-carded for moaning.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
While lying on the pavement, he could be heard moaning as an officer shouted at him not to move.—
Jose R. Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
13 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Caviling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caviling. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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