CAVILS Synonyms: 96 Similar and Opposite Words

cavils 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of cavil

as in complains

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cavils

2 of 2

noun

plural of cavil

as in quibbles

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cavils

Verb

Shannon basically complains so much that Jenn, a sweet baby angel straight from a Hallmark Christmas movie, offers to change rooms with her.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2026
The private sector complains that there are jobs but that Indians aren’t skilled enough to be hired.

— Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of complains

Noun

On the new series, some House of Stassi castmembers raised their quarrels with Maloney joining their cast.

— McKinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 8 Aug. 2026
Candi is the family mediator Like any father-daughter coaching dynamic, Corey and Coco have had their fair share of quarrels on the tennis court.

— Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 9 July 2026

Definition of quarrels

Noun

Former Vice President Kamala Harris shares some of your criticisms, clearly.

— NBC news, NBC news, 30 Aug. 2026
The prolific musician, actor and philanthropist, who died on Tuesday at 80 years old, always had a tongue-in-cheek response to criticisms about her larger-than-life sense of style.

— Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of criticisms

Noun

Bessent's remarks came as Siluanov's first in-person appearance at the summit since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 drew objections from other European leaders.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
Recently, Capifali helped guide the Johnson administration through a tiff with aldermen who legalized video gambling terminals over the mayor’s objections.

— Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of objections

Verb

So your first indication of problems can be a client who nitpicks every job, forcing you to return to re-trim the 2-inch patch of sod that the client claims wasn’t properly manicured.

— Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
But Brian constantly nitpicks her purchases.

— Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2025

Definition of nitpicks

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caviling

cavils

caving

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“Cavils.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cavils. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of cavils

verb

noun

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