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
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
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
-
As usual, Coon thrives in ambiguity, layering a seemingly straightforward woman with depth.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Participants also took a personality assessment called the High Potential Trait Indicator (HTPI), which measures six traits including competitiveness and tolerance of ambiguity.—
Joe Wilkins Published Jan 8,
Futurism,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But Frederica Wilson, a Democratic congresswoman from South Florida, vividly remembers her constituents complaining about one Facebook ad in particular.—
David Smiley,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
-
About 20% of fire department employees responded to the survey, with large majorities of those respondents complaining about discrimination, diversity and inclusion programs and a wide range of organizational issues.—
Aaron Valdez,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The prosecutor told jurors that Flores had been bickering with and mocking the man, who was heavily restrained and moving slowly, while escorting him to a courthouse holding cell after the man had a court hearing last August.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Jennifer Aniston’s Alex Levy, Reese Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson, and the other members of The Morning Show’s newsroom and its network are once again bickering and backstabbing.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
There are more subtle links between the franchises as well, like the casting of Cameron Brown as the Drone Synth in the film.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Lucky Step Platform Sneakers These brown suede platform sneakers give a subtle lift while staying super comfortable thanks to memory foam insoles and arch support.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Despite the murkiness of the water, Chris jumped in to swim.—
Erin Clack,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
-
That’s the murkiness that makes any grand statement about the previous 17 games difficult.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As the migrants boarded, a man hoisted one of the passengers in the air, a fussing 8-month-old baby whose face was flushed red from the heat.—
Daniel Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
6 Nov. 2025
-
With five blades sandwiched between two moisturizing bars, this razor speeds up the entire process (no fussing around with shaving cream), nourishing dry skin and making nicks a rare occurrence.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Trump has openly lobbied for the Nobel Peace Prize, arguing that his actions have helped resolve multiple international conflicts, claims that have drawn public backing from several world leaders.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Prosecutors deny Bondi has conflict of interest Federal prosecutors slammed the defense's claims as meritless and misleading, arguing there is no conflict of interest with the attorney general because there is no present or future financial gain.—
Christina Fan,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The story zooms in, and telescopes out magnificently, revealing nuanced and precise character studies of the boy and his family, as well as revealing the vast network of history, culture, and individuals that led to this tragic moment.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Across the board, the textures are smooth, not gritty; the flavors are nuanced, not overwhelming.—
Samantha Leal,
Refinery29,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quibbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quibbling. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share