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
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 quibbled
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
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
-
Rookies fell out with their bosses all the time, who, in turn, complained about the impossibility of getting good help these days.—
Snigdha Poonam,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Trump has often complained that Japan doesn’t buy American vehicles, which are often too wide to be practical on narrow Japanese streets.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
On 33 occasions since 2017, Congress has been forced to pass emergency extensions to the flood insurance program, as lawmakers bickered over budgets and looming shutdowns threatened to disrupt it, according to a letter the National Association of Realtors sent to Congress ahead of the shutdown.—
Rukmini Callimachi,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
-
In recent years, the companies have bickered about the rise of streaming services, in which the media companies are investing billions of dollars and which lure away cable and satellite customers.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Others might tell you that hosting an awards show is a thankless gig, but Bargatze doesn’t seem fussed.—
Lacey Rose,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The woman explained in a post on Mumsnet that her fiancé isn’t fussed about having a big wedding as he’s been married before.—
Latoya Gayle,
People.com,
17 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
If the current fiscal package is estimated to not only cover its costs but grow the economy too, the path is justified, argued Zandi.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The only Republican senator to join this brief was Murkowski of Alaska, who has argued for limiting the president’s power to impose tariffs without congressional approval.—
Jenna Sundel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Later though, the conversation niggled at me.—
Rachel Linden,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Mayor Sue Finkam found the dollars to quell many concerns from city councilors about the budget, but officials still quarreled over the transparency of some dollars earmarked for Carmel’s legal department.—
Jake Allen,
IndyStar,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Franklin’s son and grandson quarreled.—
Stacy Schiff,
The Atlantic,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The event was the latest public honoring of North Korean troops who fought in Russia to repel an incursion by Ukrainian forces.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
24 Oct. 2025
-
In his remarks, Sures saluted his late father, who fought in Israel’s War of Independence in 1948.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Quibbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quibbled. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share