as in to complain
to make often peevish criticisms or objections about matters that are minor, unimportant, or irrelevant
caviled for hours about a single sentence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in quibble
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of cavil
Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2021
However, the actual interiors of this four-bedroom home are nothing to cavil at.
—Kelly Corbett, House Beautiful, 7 Oct. 2020
Verb
Naysayers often cavil that California’s economic growth depends almost entirely on Silicon Valley and the capital gains income of its wealthiest residents, but its primacy in high technology encompasses fields outside Northern California, such as biotech.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2021
However, the actual interiors of this four-bedroom home are nothing to cavil at.
—Kelly Corbett, House Beautiful, 7 Oct. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cavil
Verb
-
Many complain about a lack of tort reform, unrestricted attorney advertising or litigation funding, all of which contribute significantly to the scam.—
Robert Tyson,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2025
-
The firing after a nearly 30-year run appeared to surprise Starkey, after reports that Daltrey was not happy with the drummer’s performance at a March Royal Albert Hall gig, complaining from stage that Starkey’s loud playing was throwing him off.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
27 May 2025
Noun
-
But those gripes strike me as nothing more than minor quibbles.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2025
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Send your wine questions and quibbles to [email protected] Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans.—
Seth Eli Barlow,
Arkansas Online,
13 May 2025
Verb
-
Apple is not legally required to re-admit Fortnite, but the questions now are whether Apple is going to nitpick some specific thing to deny the app that caused all this, or whether Fortnite has somehow pushed the bounds of the results of the case to twist the knife even further.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
-
Fans of the game have either enjoyed the series so far, nitpicked a number of differences between them, or both.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The defense attorney suggested that Cassie’s rape allegation stemmed from a complicated quarrel playing out as their decade-plus relationship came to an end.—
Victoria Bekiempis,
Vulture,
16 May 2025
-
Other great powers will have their territorial goals and quarrels and this does not normally concern you.—
Frank Lavin,
Forbes.com,
4 May 2025
Verb
-
As Harper, from Queensland, Australia, pet Olive and stroked her face gently, her furious golden retriever, named Cub, sat upright and appeared to frown at his owner for fussing anyone other than him.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 May 2025
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Video footage of the animals shows the eagle fussing at the coyote and trying to chase it off.—
Amanda Kooser,
Forbes.com,
6 May 2025
Noun
-
There is no doubt that not having to play the next day has its benefits.—
Julio Cesar Valdera Morales,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 May 2025
-
For subsumed within Lincoln’s willingness to accept the Chicago nomination was knowledge — perhaps without a doubt — of what actions by states were to come and what actions were morally right for the government to pursue.—
Michael Peregrine,
Chicago Tribune,
18 May 2025
Verb
-
The Rockies have been a zombie baseball club for five years now, moaning and trudging along the National League cellar, wandering the darkness, looking for brains to eat.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
11 May 2025
-
But the Francophone descriptor fails to conjure the dust her voice kicks up, the grit and moan that hang in the air after each song.—
Carrie Brownstein,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Lee-Gardner became involved in the dispute and is accused of hitting the homeowner in her head with a pistol.—
Mike Stunson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 May 2025
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This dispute is one of several signs revealing a worsening relationship between the two leaders, reflecting broader disagreements on Iran, regional conflicts, economic policy, and diplomatic priorities.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cavil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cavil. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.
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