as in complains
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
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cavils
Verb
-
At one point in the documentary, Suga, one of the group’s rappers, complains that there is too much English on the album.—
Mitch Therieau,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026 -
Everyone complains about how expensive EVs are.—
Joel Feder,
The Drive,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Avoid money quarrels with everyone.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
8 Feb. 2026
-
His quarrels with Massie and interest in relitigating the 2020 election seem to animate him more, too.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
What the city got from some within the police department was more than 80 pages of complaints, criticisms and concerns about then-police chief Mikael Dahlstrom, allegations that led to him resigning in November after the city decided not to carry out a formal investigation.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Scharf also began the discussion of the ballroom by pointing to past media criticisms of the construction of the White House under past presidents.—
Mabinty Quarshie,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Freight House building creaks and moans underfoot, and passing trains produce little more than a subtle hum.—
Nicole Letts,
Southern Living,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Back in the car, Albert moans and groans while Billie shrieks in panic.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Vulnerable, voiceless elders in Miami-Dade who are removed from their homes for their own good will likely wind up in the hands of an Adult Protective Services supervisor promoted to a position of unparalleled power despite the objections of family members and whistleblowing colleagues.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
-
More importantly, these objections assume a permanent ideological shift.—
Ravi Kumar S,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
So your first indication of problems can be a client who nitpicks every job, forcing you to return to re-trim the 2-inch patch of sod that the client claims wasn’t properly manicured.—
Kathy Kristof,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
-
But Brian constantly nitpicks her purchases.—
Kamaron McNair,
CNBC,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Furthermore, this new sense of clarity can help to drastically reduce misunderstandings between departments.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
-
For husky owners, the incident served as a reminder that, while the breed is beloved for its personality, those operatic howls can sometimes cause real-world misunderstandings—even police visits.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But even with the reduced wishlist, many bills died in House-Senate squabbles.—
Romy Ellenbogen,
Miami Herald,
17 Mar. 2026
-
But the amount of water flowing downstream has been dropping due to a long-term drought at the same time, causing squabbles among the states over who gets how much for farming, drinking and industrial uses.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
15 Mar. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Cavils.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cavils. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
