1
as in to complain
to make often peevish criticisms or objections about matters that are minor, unimportant, or irrelevant
he spent the entire evening quibbling about the historical inaccuracies in the television series on World War II
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to argue
to express different opinions about something often angrily
don't quibble over who gets to sit in front
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in objection
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of quibble
Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026
Some trustees saw the enforcement approach as reasonable and quibbled with the details, while others wanted Wilmette to go much further in its restrictions.
—Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
Todd Martens, Boston Herald, 30 Nov. 2025
Culinary connectedness The latest durian quibble reflects a broader debate over national foods across Nusantara—which refers to the Malay Archipelago, extending across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Timor-Leste, and the Philippines.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quibble
Verb
During a debate Tuesday, some lawmakers quibbled over whether the bill would infringe on the free market.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 5 Mar. 2026
Some trustees saw the enforcement approach as reasonable and quibbled with the details, while others wanted Wilmette to go much further in its restrictions.
—Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
Noun
The only quibble is the show primarily runs on weekends only.
—Todd Martens, Boston Herald, 30 Nov. 2025
Culinary connectedness The latest durian quibble reflects a broader debate over national foods across Nusantara—which refers to the Malay Archipelago, extending across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Timor-Leste, and the Philippines.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quibble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quibble
Verb
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The move was met with outrage, with fans criticizing the singer for jumping the gun and complaining that the weather had cleared up before becoming too serious.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 June 2026
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Leo is expected to meet survivors while in Spain, but several victims groups have complained that they have been left in the dark about when the meeting is taking place and whether they are invited.—
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
7 June 2026
Verb
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Bass has called for hiring more officers and defending her Inside Safe homelessness program, while Raman has criticized the cost of police raises, called for broader public-safety responses and argued that the city needs a more accountable and cost-effective homelessness system.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
9 June 2026
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California Attorneys, Administrative Law Judges, and Hearing Officers in State Employment (CASE) argues that in forcing more than 90,000 workers to regularly commute to state offices, Newsom is violating the California Environmental Quality Act.—
Kassia Bonesteel,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
Noun
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Panahi’s lawyer, Mostafa Nili, announced on Sunday that the Tehran Revolutionary Court has rejected his objections to the rule and has upheld the verdict in full.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
7 June 2026
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The zoo’s petition cites several objections to data centers that have been hotly debated nationwide, including their impact on electricity and water resources.—
David Ingram,
NBC news,
6 June 2026
Verb
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Diehards nitpicked pointless details like Bond's hair color as an excuse to dismiss the whole experiment.—
Jordan Minor,
PC Magazine,
1 June 2026
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Now, Cleveland desperately needs some guys with track records — Steven Kwan, Kyle Manzardo and, if nitpicking, José Ramírez — to show signs of life, and the club could flaunt its most formidable offense in years.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
Verb
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While things have calmed over the years, the siblings still bicker and often disagree.—
Eva Remijan-Toba,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2026
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While the concrete cured, the starting eight matches of the first-ever World Cup were relocated to Pocitos and Gran Parque Central, the home grounds of capital rivals Peñarol and Nacional, who'd been bickering since their first meeting in July 1900.—
Paul Jebara,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 May 2026
Verb
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Need to put a filling dinner on the table, but don't have a lot of time to fuss?—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
22 May 2026
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Ever the dedicated mother, Stacy runs to her adult daughter’s aid, fussing at her for not using a driver for her errands.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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While Hulst tried to fight his way through traffic, Serna was in unfamiliar territory.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
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Aspiring journalist Lily’s camera was recording when the OPEF Marines invaded and began killing both Marsies and the Peacekeepers force that was actually aligned with the Marines and fighting against the Marsies.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Noun
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In mid-January, as Iran crushed wide-scale protests with the mass killing of demonstrators, Israel prepared a covert mission along the Azerbaijan-Iran border, two of the sources familiar with the plans told CNN.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
5 June 2026
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Kaepernick was blackballed from the NFL for his decision to kneel on the sideline during the playing of the national anthem in protest of police brutality and racial injustice.—
Michael Cunningham,
AJC.com,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quibble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quibble. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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