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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cavils
Verb
-
But today nobody complains about the cost of his castles.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
8 June 2026 -
But Haltbrekken complains that the government has no way to stop overconstruction from eroding Norway’s strategic energy reserves.—
Story
by
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Margolick devotes much space to the writers’ quarrels, their gripes, their resentment of one another.—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Hip-Hop has equally thrived on legendary quarrels and strong relationships.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Shannon moans right about the time Jenn walks out to see what the commotion is all about.—
Peter Larsen,
Oc Register,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Know what the smartest creatives are doing while everyone else moans?—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
On Saturday, former CIA Director Leon Panetta, who served under former President Barack Obama, suggested Bolton was targeted over his frequent criticisms of the president’s foreign policy decisions.—
Asher Notheis,
The Washington Examiner,
24 Aug. 2025
-
Other users on social media leveled similar criticisms at the Browns, with some speculating that the obstacles being put in front of the quarterback are intentional.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
23 Aug. 2025
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
Noun
-
Referees did not blow the whistle for a foul on the play, despite forceful objections from the Knicks bench.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
-
Thanks to more than 200 years of intense and virtuoso scientific work, what were once valid or at least plausible concerns and objections to vaccines have been overcome.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
At that point, the misunderstandings of me being weird or nerdy or stuck up or whatever kind of just went away.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
-
The misunderstandings are about people’s tones, and not necessarily about the things that people are pointing toward.—
Senior Television,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Could the modern classic sitcom about a group of disgruntled office workers' love affairs, friendships, falling outs, and petty squabbles be made today?—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 June 2026
-
Rice’s attorney argued that prosecutors were unable to prove Rice’s whereabouts at the time of the murder and that their roommate squabbles were not significant enough for Rice to kill her.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
4 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Cavils.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cavils. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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