as in nitpicking
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as in ambiguity
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1
as in complaining
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bickering
to express different opinions about something often angrily
don't quibble over who gets to sit in front
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Recent Examples of quibbling
Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Kevin Frazier, Sun Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2026
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
When the murder of 100,000 people, many of them women and children, is mentioned or denounced, or when someone dares to use terms such as genocide, ethnocide, ethnic cleansing or similar, most people choose to take issue with the characterization, quibbling over semantics.
—Uriel Kon
september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
More support tickets, more quibbling, more negotiating.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Noun
This may seem like semantic quibbling, but the stakes of imprecise legislation in this domain are quite high.
—Kevin Frazier, Sun Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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
When the murder of 100,000 people, many of them women and children, is mentioned or denounced, or when someone dares to use terms such as genocide, ethnocide, ethnic cleansing or similar, most people choose to take issue with the characterization, quibbling over semantics.
—Uriel Kon
september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quibbling
Noun
-
Whether facing emotional burnout, therapy culture fatigue, or dating uncertainty, the return of symbolic meaning can help to avoid relationship ambiguity.—
Felysha Walker,
Miami Herald,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Like many recent theater school grads, Dela Cruz was still trying to find his niche as a performer, oscillating between the pursuits of ethnic ambiguity — a casting asset — and cultural identity.—
Malia Mendez,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Cover your ears, look away, or grab a hot dog — after all, not every artist is for everyone, and complaining won’t change that.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Many suits came from roofing and paving companies, architects, lumber suppliers and similar businesses complaining that Ferrigno’s company never paid them for materials and labor at his various housing construction sites in Avon and Simsbury.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Her grandparents are constantly bickering, worn down by the pressures of keeping the family hotel afloat.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The choice not to pick a team has left fans bickering with each other.—
Mike Sullivan,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Two brands – one, Diotima, led by female designer Rachel Scott, and the other, Eckhaus Latta, by Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta – showed a subtler way to get fashion audiences thinking.—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The muted denim blue creates a subtle pop of color, and the large medallion pattern in the center is distressed for an antique feel.—
Shea Simmons,
Southern Living,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Despite the murkiness of sneckdowns, sanitation workers often end up taking care of them.—
Naaman Zhou,
New Yorker,
3 Feb. 2026
-
There’s some murkiness about where the recipe originated; both baking brands White Lily and Martha White claim to have pioneered the beloved bread.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Your son is fussing in his car seat.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Emma looked around, confused at the adults fussing around him and too young, perhaps, to grasp the severity of the scene.—
Maeva Bambuck,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Generally, the judges who’ve released detainees say the federal government is wrongly arguing that a statute that historically applied to migrants caught at the border can be applied to anyone seeking to gain legal status to remain in the United States.—
Cristóbal Reyes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
-
In 2014, the New York Times published a six-part series arguing for a repeal on the federal marijuana ban, comparing the government’s treatment of cannabis to the prohibition on alcohol in the 1920s.—
Elaine Mallon,
Baltimore Sun,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The extended timeline created opportunities for more nuanced portrayal.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
-
While Kimbal Musk’s ties to Epstein have been reported in news articles, a close look at the complete sequence of events and emails in the relationship with Sarah, along with firsthand details from an Epstein staffer at the time, reveals a far more nuanced picture.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quibbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quibbling. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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