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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of quibble
Alice Gregory, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024
While Yankees fans can quibble over whether outlandish performance bonuses, opt-out clauses and use of a private suite should have been included in their bid for Soto, a more important question remains: what will the Yankees do with all that leftover cash?
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024
The Gilded Age Season 3 (HBO) TBA Julian Fellowes’ The Gilded Age, set in late-1800s New York, proves that great drama can be found anywhere, even in high-society quibbles over who has the superior opera house.
—Lucy Ford, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for quibble
Verb
There were critiques: some philosophers quibbled with the specifics of Paul’s decision modelling, others with the solipsism of focussing so much on the expectant parent rather than on the child or the world writ large.
—Alice Gregory, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024
While Yankees fans can quibble over whether outlandish performance bonuses, opt-out clauses and use of a private suite should have been included in their bid for Soto, a more important question remains: what will the Yankees do with all that leftover cash?
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
My only quibble with this adaptation is the pacing, which suffers thanks to a few unnecessary backstory additions and a few too many long, lingering shots and pregnant pauses that even mess up the flow of some iconic songs.
—Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024
The Gilded Age Season 3 (HBO) TBA Julian Fellowes’ The Gilded Age, set in late-1800s New York, proves that great drama can be found anywhere, even in high-society quibbles over who has the superior opera house.
—Lucy Ford, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for quibble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quibble
Verb
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While many people who renounced their citizenship complained of being unhappy with the political climate in the US, another reason for their decision is often taxes, Alistair Bambridge, a partner at Bambridge Accountants, told CNN in August 2020.—
Edward Szekeres,
CNN,
5 Mar. 2025
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Trump and Vice President JD Vance clashed dramatically with the Ukrainian leader in the Oval Office Friday after Zelenskyy complained about Russian President Vladimir Putin.—
Riley Beggin,
USA TODAY,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Advocates for Syed argued that the evidence used to convict him was unreliable and that police ignored leads pointing to other potential suspects.—
Chloe Atkins,
NBC News,
27 Feb. 2025
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In an interview with Sky Sport before Liverpool’s convincing win over Manchester City earlier this month, Salah—while respecting opposing marksman Erling Haaland’s talents—argued the number nine’s job is more straightforward than hitting the same heights from the wing (German).—
Henry Flynn,
Forbes,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Multiple speakers were also allowed to accuse Israel of carrying out a genocide, also with no objection from Lauber.—
Rachel Wolf,
Fox News,
27 Feb. 2025
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His nomination to become the nation’s 26th Health and Human Services Secretary was met with considerable objection from the medical community.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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For one, both experts say that being too rigid can also lead to self-sabotaging behaviors, like rejecting otherwise great matches for superficial reasons or coming up with excuses to nitpick things that never mattered before.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
14 Feb. 2025
-
Plus, getting to know each other tends to take priority over nitpicking the small stuff during the whirlwind honeymoon phase.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Without politics to bicker over or political visions to debate, the candidates mostly pitched themselves and their personal connections to the community.—
Jesse Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2025
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Meeting in Munich This combination of carping about America, bickering with each other, and grandstanding for the cameras has typified European responses to the Russian invasion of Feb. 24, 2022, and the three years of war that followed.—
Dominic Green,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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On top of this, her mother and sister are fussing about her future relationship status, which leads to them plotting some dates for her.—
Tommy Tuberville,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
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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
Verb
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Since its establishment in 1992, The Elton John AIDS Foundation has raised over $600 million to support more than 3,100 projects in 95 countries, working to increase healthcare access and fight LGBTQ+ stigma.—
Jeetendr Sehdev,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
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The trailer above, which dropped on Wednesday, introduces you to the new couples fighting to see if their love can withstand temptation and drama, but there’s a catch.—
Gabriela Silva,
TVLine,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Social practice art in Latin America existed mainly through the efforts of small, noncommercial, artist-run initiatives within the fractious context of political agitation and protest.—
Fabiola Iza,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2025
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Musk and Trump's efforts to reduce the federal workforce and cut government spending, have drawn both praise and protest.—
Jonathan Limehouse,
USA TODAY,
1 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Quibble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quibble. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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