quibble

1 of 2

verb

quib·​ble ˈkwi-bəl 

quibbled; quibbling ˈkwi-b(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to evade the point of an argument by caviling about words

2

a

: cavil, carp

b

: bicker

transitive verb

: to subject to quibbles

quibbler

ˈkwi-b(ə-)lər 

noun

quibble

2 of 2

noun

1

: an evasion of or shift from the point

2

: a minor objection or criticism

Did you know?

Quibble is most familiar as a verb, but it can also function as a noun meaning "an evasion of or shift from the point" and "a minor objection or criticism." Both forms of quibble settled into English in the mid-17th century, presumably (though not definitively) as a diminutive of a now-obsolete noun quib, meaning “quibble.” Quib in turn may have come from a form of Latin qui, meaning “who,” a distant relation also of our word who.

Synonyms

Verb

• carp
• cavil
• fuss
• niggle
• nitpick

Examples of quibble in a Sentence

Verb

he spent the entire evening quibbling about the historical inaccuracies in the television series on World War II

don't quibble over who gets to sit in front

Noun

Our only quibble about the trip was that it rained a lot.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

There were critiques: some philosophers quibbled with the specifics of Paul’s decision modelling, others with the solipsism of focussing so much on the expectant parent rather than on the child or the world writ large. —Alice Gregory, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024

While Yankees fans can quibble over whether outlandish performance bonuses, opt-out clauses and use of a private suite should have been included in their bid for Soto, a more important question remains: what will the Yankees do with all that leftover cash? —Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024

Noun

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

My only quibble: in what world is resigning Stanley a tough decision for our front office? —Jeff Zrebiec, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably diminutive of obsolete quib quibble

First Known Use

Verb

1665, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

quibble

1 of 2 verb

quib·​ble ˈkwib-əl 

quibbled; quibbling -(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to talk about unimportant things rather than the real point

stop quibbling about words and tell what happened

2

: to find fault or argue over unimportant points

people ignored the main point of the speech and quibbled about its length

quibbler

-(ə-)lər 

noun

quibble

2 of 2 noun

1

: a statement that deals with a minor matter and not the real point under discussion

2

: a minor objection or criticism