as in nitpicking
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as in ambiguity
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Dissimilar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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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
Adjective
-
Star power takes a neutral cat-eye base and turns it into a subtle statement moment.—
Amanda Le,
InStyle,
17 June 2026
-
Where their Florida style is bold and flamboyant, the ranch is subtle and defined by a rich, earthy palette.—
Elizabeth Kiefer,
Architectural Digest,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
Clarity builds trust; ambiguity erodes it.—
Johnny C. Taylor Jr,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
-
Low Urgency Now Versus Accumulative Problems Later Still, the ambiguity creates challenges for systems increasingly asked to justify every investment through near-term financial return.—
Jeffrey Wessler,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
The amplifying of complaining subcontractors, always easy to find.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
14 June 2026
-
But many Spotify users voiced displeasure at the change-up, with some complaining that the disco ball looked pixelated on a small phone screen and, generally, was visually displeasing.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
The emotional distress may have stemmed from the family's extended trip together and bickering, his mother told USA TODAY on June 3.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
-
While the concrete cured, the starting eight matches of the first-ever World Cup were relocated to Pocitos and Gran Parque Central, the home grounds of capital rivals Peñarol and Nacional, who'd been bickering since their first meeting in July 1900.—
Paul Jebara,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
The picture is more nuanced for athletes chasing peak output.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
13 June 2026
-
To get a more nuanced perspective of state workers’ views on telework, The Sacramento Bee conducted a survey asking for readers’ return-to-office concerns and about how the policy change will impact them.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
As Raul grapples with telling the story of Elsa’s life, he’s confronted by the murkiness of borrowing from real people for the purposes of fiction.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
19 May 2026
-
After Daniel Jones tore his ACL late last season, the quarterback position has some murkiness for the Colts entering 2026.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Ever the dedicated mother, Stacy runs to her adult daughter’s aid, fussing at her for not using a driver for her errands.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Your son is fussing in his car seat.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The chamber has disputed that characterization, arguing the bill will drive up costs for consumers.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
20 June 2026
-
But the industry groups are still arguing that film credits should be entirely exempt from the new limitations, as they have already been accounted for and approved by the Legislature through 2030.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quibbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quibbling. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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