1
as in complained
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 bickered
to express different opinions about something often angrily
don't quibble over who gets to sit in front
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of quibbled
During a debate Tuesday, some lawmakers quibbled over whether the bill would infringe on the free market.
—
Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026
Some trustees saw the enforcement approach as reasonable and quibbled with the details, while others wanted Wilmette to go much further in its restrictions.
—Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
Those specific numbers can obviously be quibbled with.
—Aaron Gleeman, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
That trove included more than 300 black-and-white photographs, shared via JSTOR, which capture both Lulu the woman and Lulu the clown, though Lulu would have quibbled with the distinction.
—April White, JSTOR Daily, 18 Aug. 2025
Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026
Some trustees saw the enforcement approach as reasonable and quibbled with the details, while others wanted Wilmette to go much further in its restrictions.
—Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
Those specific numbers can obviously be quibbled with.
—Aaron Gleeman, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
That trove included more than 300 black-and-white photographs, shared via JSTOR, which capture both Lulu the woman and Lulu the clown, though Lulu would have quibbled with the distinction.
—April White, JSTOR Daily, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quibbled
Verb
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For years, some have complained that the groups shouldn’t be limited to neighborhoods, but rather have more open borders.—
Dania Maxwell,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
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The concern is so great that West End residents complained at a hearing on a neighborhood development proposal in late 2024 that they were forced to take longer, alternate routes just to avoid the near-constant gridlock.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The pair have famously bickered over the past 20 years.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
14 Apr. 2026
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Pointing to elk heads mounted on the wall, the two jokingly bickered over who had bowhunted which.—
Jessica Mathews,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The crime went unsolved for many years, prompting Mason to start making this movie in the early 2000s, and the immediate conclusion to jump to is that the LAPD maybe wasn’t too fussed about it.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
13 Mar. 2026
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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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But as anyone who has argued over a set of new windows can attest, condo boards are a better example.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2026
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In 1978, during the Carter administration, the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel argued that the president has the legal authority to pick an existing member of the Fed's board as acting chair if the role becomes vacant.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Critics moaned when the CFP committee picked the Hurricanes over Notre Dame as the last Power 4 entry into the playoffs.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Jan. 2026
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Strapped to a stretcher in the back of an ambulance, the shooting victim moaned, then screamed.—
Lauren Caruba,
Dallas Morning News,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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On Thursday, the Miami City Commission deferred voting on two commissioners’ requests to fund affordable housing and parks in their districts after officials quarreled over which areas in the city have the most pressing needs, an argument that cut to the core of the wealth divide in Miami.—
Tess Riski
April 10,
Miami Herald,
10 Apr. 2026
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Budapest, which has quarreled with its EU partners over support for Ukraine and Russian oil deliveries, has also blocked a 90 billion euro ($103 billion) loan as Kyiv runs low on cash.—
Lorne Cook,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As for one consistent complaint heard muttered amid bleary-eyed guests of the former Standard, Schrager confirms the appropriate adjustments have been made.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Nov. 2025
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But the other 3%, often muttered by students prospectively examining transfer applications, is distinct.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Thankfully, many judges have fought many of his unconstitutional acts.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
17 Apr. 2026
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Israel and Hezbollah have fought several wars and have been fighting on and off since the day after the start of the Gaza war.—
Kareem Chehayeb,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quibbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quibbled. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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