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
as in objection
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of quibble
Aaron Gleeman, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
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
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 18 Nov. 2025
My only quibble is that no working professional in recorded history has ever gone home for the Fourth of July.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quibble
Verb
Those specific numbers can obviously be quibbled with.
—Aaron Gleeman, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
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
Noun
The same quibbles, but just writ larger (and, yes, longer).
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 18 Nov. 2025
My only quibble is that no working professional in recorded history has ever gone home for the Fourth of July.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quibble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quibble
Verb
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Later, the state spent $6 million to seal the brick building, after state workers complained of respiratory ailments and asthma.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
11 Jan. 2026
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Although older drivers are certainly more sensitive to nocturnal blasts of light, drivers in their 20s and 30s also complained about the overall brightness of some vehicles.—
Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The opposition People Power Party, however, argues that the National Assembly must ratify the trade deal due to the exorbitant costs involved.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Jan. 2026
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The overriding factor, Tait argued, is the global debt burden.—
Sean Lee,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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At a City Hall news conference, the mayor responded to a question about retroactive changes to the 2026 budget, which aldermen passed over his objections last month, by reiterating the package could force personnel cuts.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Jan. 2026
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During the certification process, members of Congress have the opportunity to object to a state’s results, which triggers debate and then a vote about whether the objection is to be upheld.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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While her intentions may stem from concern, her nitpicking mirrors this Earth sign’s shadow side.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
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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
Verb
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Much of the comedy in this action-comedy arrives via barbed exchanges between the constantly bickering James and Jonny.—
Richard Kuipers,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
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The showing had to be aborted after a few shocking scenes of bandmates bickering and Fat Mike blasting lines of cocaine.—
Jim Ruland,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Need to put a filling dinner on the table, but don't have a lot of time to fuss?—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
22 Dec. 2025
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Dunst doesn’t get fussed about that sort of thing.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
27 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Graham, in particular, has been on a war path over the negotiations, accusing Republicans of not fighting hard enough to reclaim the narrative on immigration after the death of Alex Pretti last weekend.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Jan. 2026
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Defense attorney Marilyn Bednarski said Lemon plans to plead innocent and fight the charges in Minnesota.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Instagram was blocked after the internet shutdown in 2022, amid widespread protests following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
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Cannon-Grant was well-known in activist circles in Boston, earning numerous awards, including Boston Globe Magazine’s Bostonian of the Year award and a Boston Celtics Heroes Among Us award, both in 2020 amid nationwide protests following the killing of George Floyd.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quibble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quibble. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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