quibbled

verb

past tense of quibble
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

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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 The story that’s being quibbled about concerns a teen suicide. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quibbled
  1. complained
  2. bickered
  3. fussed
  4. argued
  5. moaned
  6. quarreled
  7. muttered
  8. fought
Verb
  • In 2011, former members complained to the archdiocese in Peru's capital, Lima, about abuses by its founder, Luis Figari.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Barfield has complained to the city council and would rather have the students park on campus.
    — Michele Gile, CBS News, 13 Nov. 2026
Definition of complained
Verb
  • The two of them together, just 17 months apart, shared playlists, bickered over where to stop during Apple CarPlay calls, pulled up beside me and faded away with silly faces, encapsulating 20 years of my life in my rearview mirror.
    — Robert Duffer, AJC.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • King bickered with fans on social media.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026
Definition of bickered
Verb
  • If the offensive line’s healthy again, RB Saquon Barkley will ramble again, broadening QB Jalen Hurts’ margin for error and being fussed at by the coaching staff.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of fussed
Verb
  • Yet, Poindexter also argued the promises have not been lived up to.
    — Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The veteran luxury executive was discussing the IFM’s 40th anniversary, and argued that its teaching across business, design and artisanal know-how makes the Paris fashion school unique — and uniquely powerful.
    — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of argued
Verb
  • Coach Arne Slot moaned about VAR but his problems lie much closer to home.
    — Phil Hay, New York Times, 4 May 2026
  • 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
Definition of moaned
Verb
  • The film’s drama, though, centers more on Nakamura and Ei, who joined forces to compose a series of hits in the 1960s but quarreled and parted as Nakamura spiraled into alcoholism.
    — Mark Schilling, Variety, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Between these endpoints of hate and love came an hour-long C-SPAN broadcast, on November 30, 1993, in which the men quarrelled, teased, and fielded calls.
    — Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of quarreled
Verb
  • The camera then cut to McCarthy, who muttered a profanity in response.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Heti stared at the drawing in front of her and muttered whatever under her breath.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of muttered
Verb
  • What’s so vexing about the futility is people had such high expectations for this team, which still has a lot of the players who fought through injuries and won 11 games in each of the past two seasons.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2026
  • Missing three starters, Orlando didn’t back down, fought hard throughout the night and forced overtime inside Chase Center.
    — Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of fought

Browse Nearby Words

quibble
quibbled
quibbler
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Cite this Entry

“Quibbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quibbled. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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