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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in quibble
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Dissimilar Words
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
Noun
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
-
A number of Tesla shareholders, including some Democrats who oversee the investment of public sector pension fund money in Tesla stock, complained in May to Tesla Board Chair Robyn Denholm that Musk’s other activities are hurting the company.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
14 July 2025
-
Trump has complained about the EU's $231 billion trade surplus in goods, which shows Americans buy more goods from European businesses than the other way around.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
13 July 2025
Noun
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One quibble: the notable lack of San Diego beers made this a bittersweet read.—
Peter Rowe,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 July 2025
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Send your wine questions and quibbles to sethebarlowwine@gmail.com Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
8 July 2025
Verb
-
Some customers aren’t thrilled with their nitpicking nature.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
10 July 2025
-
There may be more to it and perhaps PCS will nitpick.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
Noun
-
Your celestial ruler, Mercury, will also station retrograde in your communication sector (for the win), triggering misunderstandings and unnecessary quarrels with siblings or neighbors.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
8 July 2025
-
According to writer and historian Geoffrey C. Ward, Johnson had his quarrels inside and outside the ring.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
Verb
-
As darkness settled over a nature reserve in the United Kingdom, a baby mammal began to fuss and whine to its parent.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
25 July 2025
-
Vodka just keeps things boozy without fussing too much with the flavor.—
Emily Price,
Forbes.com,
3 July 2025
Noun
-
Eleven are ready to convict—until one juror (Henry Fonda, also the film’s producer) raises quiet, persistent doubts.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
29 July 2025
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There is always going to be debate about who is the sport’s GOAT, but Hagen is always in the discussion, and with a doubt, one of the very, very best and highest profile golfers to ever live.—
Larry Olmsted,
Forbes.com,
29 July 2025
Verb
-
Now-tired 2010 fads that Lorde pioneered, including bittersweet tropical-pop textures and moaning vocal snippets, are everywhere.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
27 June 2025
-
After one season, he was forcefully rejected by the community, which moaned to the press (and the local police) that the tranquil pondside inn was becoming a celebrity- and influencer-infested late-night party spot just like his club in the city.—
Brock Colyar,
Curbed,
24 June 2025
Noun
-
Threads on the South Park subreddit and social media have lit up with foul-mouthed complaints from international fans, most of them directed at Paramount and David Ellison’s Skydance Media, whose $8 billion buyout of Paramount is at the heart of the South Park dispute.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
14 July 2025
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But there are still some sour grapes about the big tactical dispute in February.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cavil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cavil. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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