quibbling 1 of 3

adjective

as in nitpicking

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quibbling

2 of 3

noun

as in ambiguity

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quibbling

3 of 3

verb

present participle of quibble
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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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 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
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
Advertisement Given all the change that artificial intelligence is predicted to bring, quibbling over word choice might seem pedantic, like arguing about the Latin name of a tree’s species while the forest burns. — David Litt, Time, 23 Oct. 2026 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
  1. subtle
  2. ambiguity
  3. complaining
  4. bickering
  5. nuanced
  6. murkiness
  7. fussing
  8. arguing
Adjective
  • One of Yoshitomo Nara’s largest paintings is also one of his most subtle.
    — Daniel Cassady for ARTnews, Robb Report, 4 Nov. 2026
  • With its choppy layers and subtle movement, the cut felt modern, refined, and perfectly in step with her evolving personal style.
    — Amanda Le, InStyle, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of subtle
Noun
  • Most of the incidents in the series are verifiable, though when there’s ambiguity, Watkins tends to lean into the legend — as with the famous incident involving Cassius and the casting of his Olympic gold medal into the Ohio River.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The human acted as a contextual filter, quietly absorbing data ambiguity.
    — Filip Popovic, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of ambiguity
Verb
  • By July, morale among immigration officers had dipped below its nadir during the Biden Administration, with agents now complaining of being overextended, inundated with novice recruits, and undermined by inflammatory rhetoric from on high.
    — Francisco Cantú, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Some 35,000 plaintiffs were compensated after complaining of personal injury and property damage to their homes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of complaining
Verb
  • The two are fond but sick of each other, at times bickering with real melancholy and malice.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Like law enforcement agents everywhere, they’re disposed to bickering about jurisdiction or pumping each other for off-limits information.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of bickering
Adjective
  • The streamer is set to launch an new AI interface that will attempt to get subscribers to engage with the platform in a more detailed and nuanced way.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Their journeys were nuanced, polarizing, messy, unmistakably Black, and relatable to everyday 20- and 30-somethings.
    — Stacy-Ann Ellis, VIBE.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of nuanced
Noun
  • But the murkiness doesn’t last long in a production that achieves an admirable balance between objectivity and emotion, abstraction and representation.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Because of the legal murkiness, Pratte urges people to talk to an attorney before foregoing registration.
    — Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of murkiness
Verb
  • Similar to Egypt after its collapse earlier in the week, Switzerland exited fussing about the officiating.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 12 July 2026
  • Yes, teaching by example is often a better way of handling a challenge than fussing about it.
    — Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 17 June 2026
Definition of fussing
Verb
  • Wisconsin Democrats have failed on multiple occasions to petition the Wisconsin Supreme Court to grant a redraw of the maps, arguing that the current map unfairly favors Republicans.
    — Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has repeatedly questioned whether women should serve in ground combat and special operations roles, arguing that their inclusion could undermine military effectiveness and physical standards.
    — James LaPorta, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of arguing

Browse Nearby Words

quibbles
quibbling
quick
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Cite this Entry

“Quibbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quibbling. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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