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
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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
-
Trump has complained about China’s rising influence over the canal.—
Bart Jansen,
USA TODAY,
28 Jan. 2025
-
Some consumers have also complained that bulk billing arrangements can burden them with a single, subpar internet service that costs more.—
Michael Kan,
PCMAG,
27 Jan. 2025
Noun
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For Minnelli true believers such quibbles may not matter.—
Manohla Dargis,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
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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
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While long-time fans found reasons to nitpick, newcomers could be forgiven for confusion.—
Andy McCullough,
The Athletic,
20 Jan. 2025
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My uncle who works in the oil field for the last 30 years will nitpick every little thing.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
9 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The House has been thrust into a political quarrel after voters elected 67 Democrats and 67 Republicans in November.—
Lauren Irwin,
The Hill,
14 Jan. 2025
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For the 34th time in two years cops have been called by frightened neighbors or Hollis herself to quell the volcanic quarrels inside Peppermill Apartments unit B-312.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Jan. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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Beyond any doubt, his response would have been laughter—not surprise.—
Robert Pinsky,
The New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2025
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The future of The Watcher has been in serious doubt after its co-creator Ryan Murphy moved his overall deal to Disney in 2023.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
30 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Jasmine moans with pleasure as Gino traces her legs with his tongue.—
Abigail Adams,
People.com,
22 Dec. 2024
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Many of the patients were critically ill and moaning in pain from broken bones, head gashes and other injuries blamed on Tropical Storm Helene.—
Beth Warren,
The Tennessean,
20 Dec. 2024
Noun
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While In Office By Zoltan Istvan Author 0 Today, there are developers around the world working on creating artificial intelligence (AI) agents that can autonomously do millions of useful things, like book airline tickets, dispute credit card charges, and even trade crypto.—
Barbara A. Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
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According to Tampa police, a dispute occurred Sunday night at a Dollar General store around 8:30 p.m. which escalated when Jeremiah Bailey, 48, tried to use his car to block 47-year-old Eric Archield’s car from leaving.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
27 Jan. 2025
Articles Related to cavil
Thesaurus Entries Near cavil
Cite this Entry
“Cavil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cavil. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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