as in nitpicking
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in ambiguity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quibbling
Noun
-
The ruling opens the door to discovery on Paramount’s understanding of its deal with WBD and whether the company took fraudulent measures to take advantage of ambiguity in the contract.—
Winston Cho,
The Hollywood Reporter,
22 Jan. 2025 -
This state of ambiguity often leads to avoidance behavior, where people choose to stick with familiar but less desirable options because the unknown feels riskier.—
Tess Brigham,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The irony of the quintessential real estate expert buying a home in the flight path of an international airport, then complaining about the noise, is not lost on the rest of Palm Beach County.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
8 Jan. 2025
-
That first-round pick became Merriman (although, the Giants aren't complaining).—
Ryan Morik,
Fox News,
8 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The sellers are Lydia (Lisa Kudrow) and Paul (Ray Romano), bickering empty nesters saddled with financial woes and a dark secret.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA TODAY,
13 Dec. 2024
-
Right out of the gate, the brothers are in a contentious mood, needling each other with elbows and bickering like little siblings.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
13 Oct. 2024
Adjective
-
These subtle forms of communication—often overshadowed by verbal expression—strengthen emotional connections, offer comfort and convey understanding in ways words cannot.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes,
25 Jan. 2025
-
For those who don’t mesh with the plum tones of Black Honey can shop Clinique Pink Honey instead, which offers the same sheer wash of color in an even more subtle pink tone.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
25 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Adnan often finds himself at the center of the theatrics — from arguing with Brian about ego to suggesting Veah is an untrustworthy partner after Sunny accused her of cheating.—
Abigail Adams,
People.com,
6 Jan. 2025
-
Bowman’s lawyers asked the state Supreme Court to delay his execution to allow a hearing on his last-ditch appeal arguing that his trial lawyer was not prepared and had too much sympathy for the white victim and not his black client.—
Landon Mion,
Fox News,
5 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Zhang films the turbulent yet nuanced action in dry, restrained tableaux of an elusive lyricism, a poetry that, to match Beibei’s relentless pursuits, remains just out of reach.—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
29 Jan. 2025
-
The governor, who built his national profile opposing the Republican president during his first term, has taken a more nuanced approach to Trump in recent months.—
Julia Wick,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Jan. 2025
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.
Thesaurus Entries Near quibbling
Cite this Entry
“Quibbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quibbling. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share