cavil

verb

cav·​il ˈka-vəl 

caviled or cavilled; caviling or cavilling ˈka-və-liŋ 

ˈkav-liŋ

intransitive verb

: to raise trivial and frivolous objection

The author caviled about the design of the book's cover.

transitive verb

: to raise trivial objections to

He caviled the conditions of the agreement.

cavil noun

caviler noun

or caviller

ˈka-və-lər 

ˈkav-lər

Did you know?

You must be joking! That's just one of the things you might be tempted to exclaim if you found yourself quarreling with a caviler—and you'd be right, etymologically speaking at least. Cavil derives from the Latin verb cavillari, meaning "to jest" or "to raise silly objections," which in turn derives from the Latin noun cavilla, meaning "raillery." In case you're wondering, "cavil" is not related to the adjective "cavalier" ("marked by or given to offhand and often disdainful dismissal of important matters"). "Cavalier," which is also a noun for a gentleman trained in arms and horsemanship, traces back via Middle French to the Late Latin caballarius, meaning "horseman."

Synonyms

• carp
• fuss
• niggle
• nitpick
• quibble

Examples of cavil in a Sentence

I don't intend to cavil or compromise.

A customer caviled about the price.

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Word History

Etymology

Latin cavillari to jest, cavil, from cavilla raillery; akin to Latin calvi to deceive — more at calumny

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing cavil

• beyond cavil

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Kids Definition

cavil

verb

cav·​il ˈkav-əl 

caviled or cavilled; caviling or cavilling -(ə-)liŋ 

: to make objections of little worth or importance : quibble

cavil noun

caviler noun

or caviller

-(ə-)lər