1
as in complains
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 argues
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quibbles
Verb
-
Everyone complains about how expensive EVs are.—
Joel Feder,
The Drive,
12 Mar. 2026 -
At the same time, the Brighton captain, Pascal Gross, complains to referee Chris Kavanagh.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The old woodworking adage suggests measuring twice to cut once—there’s even a Russian version that argues for measuring seven times.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
-
The shifting explanations, the defense argues, suggest the decision may have been arbitrary.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Under pressure from neighborhood residents who called the property an eyesore, the City Council ordered the building’s demolition in November, over the objections of attorneys for CVS and an unnamed property owner whose identity has been obscured behind property records.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
18 Mar. 2026
-
State officials have euthanized a bear who swiped a woman in Monrovia over the weekend despite objections from city officials who asked that the female bear and her two cubs be relocated to the Angeles National Forest.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
But Brian constantly nitpicks her purchases.—
Kamaron McNair,
CNBC,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The pope, played by Samora la Perdida, is a mincing oaf who bickers with Galas about the value of translating Wagner.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
My in-destination partners are equipped to handle any unexpected challenges swiftly, maintaining the quality and enjoyment of your travel.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Responding to these challenges requires systems capable of operating quickly and efficiently across the electromagnetic spectrum.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The three bills also are not the first headline-grabbing action from Schroer, who serves as chair of the Senate’s hard-right Freedom Caucus, which frequently quarrels with GOP leadership.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Three decades later, Prince William and Kate Middleton returned to the same place to replicate the visit, making this red desert landscape a sort of obligatory stop in a country where the Windsors, despite protests, still reign.—
Diego Parrado,
Vanity Fair,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Sizable protests took place in both parks, and petition drives favoring car-free roads garnered around 1,000 signatures each.—
Jon Orcutt,
New York Daily News,
14 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Quibbles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quibbles. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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