as in nitpicking
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in ambiguity
Related Words
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
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 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
-
The power of its clarity or ambiguity.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
-
Part of the concern has to do with the ethical ambiguities surrounding the project.—
Will Gottsegen,
The Atlantic,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
So, what Rodriguez and Cohen Higgins are complaining about is what happens four and five years or even ten years down the line.—
Jim DeFede,
CBS News,
17 May 2026
-
Follow these mowing etiquette tips to avoid being the one that your neighbors are complaining about on Reddit.—
Leanne Potts,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Since then, showrunner Tim Minear and the rest of the writers have played up the actors' natural chemistry, playing into both the characters' bickering dynamic and their willingness to do anything, including risking their lives, for one another.—
Sabienna Bowman,
PEOPLE,
9 May 2026
-
The two get to bickering about her terrible track record, with Dennis hilariously failing to realize that this accusation includes him among the questionable men.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Is there a subtle way to say something?—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
14 May 2026
-
Many viewers interpreted the scene as a subtle reference to Sweeney's political beliefs after BuzzFeed reported in August that Sweeney was registered as a Republican in Florida.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
The Cubs did not officially make a roster move to add Riley to their active roster because of the murkiness of whether the game would be played.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Mahan and Villaraigosa are the only two Democrats who have publicly called to roll back regulations on the state’s oil and gas market, illustrating the political murkiness at the nexus of California’s climate and affordability challenges.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Mar. 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
-
In recent years, a few prominent detransitioners, including Chloe Cole and Prisha Mosley, have advocated for restrictions on transition care for minors, arguing in lawsuits against doctors who treated them that their care was too easy to access and that doctors failed them.—
Jo Yurcaba,
NBC news,
16 May 2026
-
James Ward During the debate, Republican candidate Steve Hilton said that only a small percentage of California has been developed for housing, arguing that the state should focus on building homes on undeveloped land rather than increasing density in existing cities.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
The contemporary charter market is deeper and more nuanced than ever, spanning sleek, compact platforms in the mid-65-foot range through to fully fledged superyachts exceeding 197 feet.—
Rachel Ingram,
Robb Report,
16 May 2026
-
Claude has been adopted by a number of legal professionals and legal technology companies due to its sophisticated reasoning, nuanced language understanding, acknowledgment of uncertainty, and ability to handle very long documents.—
AllBusiness,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quibbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quibbling. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
