CAVILING Synonyms: 73 Similar and Opposite Words

caviling 1 of 2

adjective

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

caviling

2 of 2

verb

variants or cavilling

present participle of cavil

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

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for caviling

Adjective

And although there were some critical mistakes from Florida transfer quarterback DJ Lagway, the new Baylor QB made big-time throws, showed grit while playing through injury and had the Bears in position to win in the final moments.

— The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
GlobalFoundries and Monarch Quantum will give the company domestic manufacturing partners for two critical parts of its systems.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of critical

Verb

But across San Ángel, anger was palpable, with many complaining about the government’s inaction.

— Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Trump has a long history of complaining about Fox to Murdoch — while also coveting its support and complimenting its pro-Trump stars.

— Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of complaining

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

Definition of captious

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

Definition of carping

Adjective

Wide receiver Mike Evans An 11-time, 1,000-yard receiver needs no token compliments or hypercritical analysis.

— Cam Inman, Mercury News, 29 July 2026
Drowning in bureaucracy and hypercritical of her colleagues, Santos (Isa Briones) could burn out from frustration and resentment.

— Judy Berman, Time, 17 Apr. 2026

Definition of hypercritical

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

Definition of quibbling

Verb

Hall wrote in his report that Hamilton lay down in the backseat of the police vehicle, moaning and not responding, prompting first responders to give him Narcan.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 Aug. 2026
Video released by the Milwaukie Police Department shows Descamps sprawled in a hospital bed, his body limp, moaning and drooling, while medical staff stood nearby.

— Brian Mann, NPR, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of moaning

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.

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“Caviling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caviling. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of caviling

adjective

verb

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