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
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 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
-
Developers themselves have complained that their companies are not doing enough to weed out harassment online.—
Megan Farokhmanesh,
WIRED,
21 Feb. 2025
-
And no one can seem to stop complaining about it—lowering egg prices was even a primary talking point in Trump’s run for the presidency.—
Zoya Hasan,
Forbes,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
For Minnelli true believers such quibbles may not matter.—
Manohla Dargis,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
-
For all my minor quibbles, the movie has been lodged in my brain ever since May, with certain beats replaying in my head in much the same way that The Pink Opaque got stuck in Owen’s.—
Samantha Allen,
Them,
14 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Plus, getting to know each other tends to take priority over nitpicking the small stuff during the whirlwind honeymoon phase.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
24 Jan. 2025
-
While long-time fans found reasons to nitpick, newcomers could be forgiven for confusion.—
Andy McCullough,
The Athletic,
20 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The public quarrel between Trump and Zelenskyy began after Russia and the U.S. agreed Tuesday to start working toward ending the war in Ukraine and improving their diplomatic and economic ties.—
ILLIA NOVIKOV,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Feb. 2025
-
The public quarrel between New Zealand and Cook Islands — which share a passport, a military and constitutional ties — was a victory for Beijing’s efforts to woo Pacific leaders and a blow to Western countries’ efforts to counter China’s sway, analysts said.—
Charlotte Graham-McLay,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The world saw this five-man group as an ideal of friendship, a community working and living together, fussing and fighting but making rough beauty out of it.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
21 Jan. 2025
-
Palmieri also has a 16-team no-trade list but, like Nelson, certainly should not be fussed about being moved to a Cup contender for a few months.—
Arthur Staple,
The Athletic,
16 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
There is no doubt that Russia has vast troves of oil and natural gas, but an effort to lure American or other Western energy companies to undertake Russian projects is likely to encounter skepticism, not least because of the companies' recent history in Russia.—
Stanley Reed,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 2025
-
An initial eight: There was little doubt about Spoelstra playing this one for keeps.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Men writhe and moan in the shadows just out of sight as a young gay man walks through the dark room at Adonis, Copenhagen’s only gay sauna.—
David Opie,
IndieWire,
27 Jan. 2025
-
Shows that not all football teams need to be Champions League contenders and not all fans need to be moaning about the failings of their club.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
The Athletic,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
This was certainly the case with the H-1B visa dispute.—
Tevi Troy,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
21 Feb. 2025
-
According to one source, Heath has said that the interaction exemplifies the way acts of kindness have been weaponized against himself, Baldoni, and others in the dispute.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
21 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to cavil
Cite this Entry
“Cavil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cavil. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share