quibble 1 of 2

verb

ˈkwi-bəl How to pronounce quibble (audio)
Definition of quibblenext
1
as in to complain
to make often peevish criticisms or objections about matters that are minor, unimportant, or irrelevant he spent the entire evening quibbling about the historical inaccuracies in the television series on World War II

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to argue
to express different opinions about something often angrily don't quibble over who gets to sit in front

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

quibble

2 of 2

noun

as in objection

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of quibble
Verb
The story that’s being quibbled about concerns a teen suicide. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026 While facelift surgeons quibble over semantics and what truly distinguishes one method from another, ultimately, all modern facelifts adjust the SMAS (muscle layer) in some way. — Jolene Edgar, Allure, 16 Mar. 2026
Noun
Something’s lost in the translation, but with dazzling costumes, hyper-energetic singing and dancing and joyful spirit filling the Nederlander, quibbles end up banished beyond the flats. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 20 Apr. 2026 One small quibble — in Greece, a classic salad does not contain lettuce. — Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 9 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for quibble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quibble
  1. complain
  2. argue
  3. objection
  4. nitpick
  5. bicker
  6. protest
  7. fuss
  8. fight
Verb
  • Parents keep complaining to me that their kids are sedentary at school, even though humans need to keep moving throughout the day to be healthy.
    — Kara Alaimo, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Aside from social media posts complaining about the war’s fallout and some grumbling from oligarchs about the Kremlin seizing their assets, there are still no signs of any widespread popular unrest against Vladimir Putin’s regime.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of complain
Verb
  • That connection is ultimately what put Tupac’s life in jeopardy, Davis argued in the book Compton Street Legend, which has become a key piece of evidence in the case against him.
    — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
  • No two tales of what happened to Maelor after his knight protector was shot dead agree, but the young boy was also slain on the bridge, perhaps torn apart by the mob who assailed him, arguing over what to do with the young prince.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of argue
Noun
  • More to Explore Mindful of the cultural importance of orthodox Islam, Singaporean practitioners respond to religious authorities’ objections in various ways.
    — H.M.A. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 7 Aug. 2026
  • In February, Trump appointee Vinay Prasad—a Kennedy ally—refused to even review the vaccine, despite objections from FDA staff and career officials, shocking Moderna and the larger biomedical community.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of objection
Verb
  • Becoming more open-minded instead of nitpicking other people’s posts all the time can be beneficial for you, too.
    — Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
  • Tucker even nitpicked the nine-pitch at-bat that ended in the pull-side homer.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2026
Definition of nitpick
Verb
  • Back at the base, the team is still bickering with the other troopers.
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 2 Aug. 2026
  • After bickering with Percy over her involvement in the mission, Thalia ultimately drives away from the scene.
    — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 23 July 2026
Definition of bicker
Noun
  • In the weeks since the protests, Modi has increasingly appeared in short, vertical videos tailored for Instagram and other platforms popular with young voters.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The Lennox-Inglewood Tenants Union organized protests before and during the construction of SoFi.
    — Shi Bradley, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of protest
Verb
  • Five-month-old Ladoo fusses in a hammock made from an old scarf.
    — Diaa Hadid, NPR, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Similar to Egypt after its collapse earlier in the week, Switzerland exited fussing about the officiating.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 12 July 2026
Definition of fuss
Verb
  • But the judge’s order showed a possible path forward for other court fights around the country as Meta faces mounting legal, regulatory and public pressure to do more to protect young people.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Garlic Garlic is rich in plant compounds that have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antihypertensive (fighting high blood pressure) properties.
    — Carrie Madormo, HEALTH, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of fight

Browse Nearby Words

queuing
quibble
quibbled
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Quibble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quibble. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on quibble

Nglish: Translation of quibble for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All