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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of quibble
Joey Garrison, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
Those specific numbers can obviously be quibbled with.
—Aaron Gleeman, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 18 Nov. 2025
My only quibble is that no working professional in recorded history has ever gone home for the Fourth of July.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quibble
Verb
Historians may quibble, but a review of Cheney’s actions and statements appears to be a definitive no.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025
Those specific numbers can obviously be quibbled with.
—Aaron Gleeman, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
The same quibbles, but just writ larger (and, yes, longer).
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 18 Nov. 2025
My only quibble is that no working professional in recorded history has ever gone home for the Fourth of July.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quibble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quibble
Verb
-
The building was in the neighborhood of Bab Tabbaneh, one of the poorest areas in Lebanon’s second-largest city, where residents have long complained of government neglect and shoddy infrastructure.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Other conservatives have also complained about Bad Bunny performing in Spanish.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Proponents of banning firms such as Blackstone from buying single-family homes, many of whom are on the Left and populist Right, argue that those investors are crowding out the market for homebuyers.—
Zach Halaschak,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Why pigeons can outperform drones in some missions The startup argued that pigeons offer practical advantages over conventional drones in specific environments.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
He's gotten his legislative agenda through the House and the Senate without any objection of any meaningful sort.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Praise for the post being removed More Republicans lodged their objections to the post after the video was taken down.—
Matt Brown,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
While her intentions may stem from concern, her nitpicking mirrors this Earth sign’s shadow side.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
The choice not to pick a team has left fans bickering with each other.—
Mike Sullivan,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
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The pair also bicker a bit as Aniston pauses mid-styling session to tame her own ‘do.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Emma looked around, confused at the adults fussing around him and too young, perhaps, to grasp the severity of the scene.—
Maeva Bambuck,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 2026
-
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 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
For some people, dogs are a way to feel loved, to relieve pressures to have kids, to fight the drudgery of their job, to reduce the stress of the rat race and to connect with the outdoors.—
Margret Grebowicz,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Ask a Native person why Native people have volunteered to fight in the US’s wars overseas, including in Korea, my homeland, and Vietnam, the most recent nation of origin of many of my refugee friends.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The shooting, which was condemned by leaders worldwide, came amid polarization, including student protests, in the United States over the war in Gaza.—
Jasper Ward,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Throughout the protest, students played Spanish music, climbed mounds of iced snow to wave the flags of Latin American countries and cheered as cars honked in support.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quibble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quibble. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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