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
Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 7 May 2025
So far the answer seems to be a qualified yes — even if not many projects appear to have made the cut and some quibble about the size of payments.
—Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Jan. 2025
Benji Jones, Vox, 16 May 2025
But there’s no need to quibble—we’ll watch Hugh Bonneville in just about anything.
—Air Mail, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for quibble
Verb
But, as the European official pointed out, Zelensky’s quibbles and proposed tweaks to Trump’s peace initiatives are of a specific, tactical nature: a revision here, a counterproposal there.
—Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 7 May 2025
So far the answer seems to be a qualified yes — even if not many projects appear to have made the cut and some quibble about the size of payments.
—Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Jan. 2025
Noun
The new administration can quibble with the technical points of the listing, Koch said, but that will do nothing to change the reality: The bird is at risk of extinction and needs to be protected.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 16 May 2025
But there’s no need to quibble—we’ll watch Hugh Bonneville in just about anything.
—Air Mail, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for quibble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quibble
Verb
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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
Verb
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But McBride argues that, by this point, Americans had begun viewing hair style as a personal choice, making Jones’s ultimatums controversial.—
Margaret Talbot,
New Yorker,
21 July 2025
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But Trump has questioned the strategic relationship, arguing that Tokyo takes advantage of Washington on trade while Americans pay to defend Japan under a long-standing security agreement.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 July 2025
Noun
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Over the objections of some Federal Trade Commission employees who sent a joint letter to Congress, that agency held a daylong session about how medical care for transgender people was a dangerous fraud.—
Jen Christensen,
CNN Money,
21 July 2025
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With maximum energy density, enhanced safety, and faster charging, nearly all objections to EV adoption would be eliminated.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes.com,
20 July 2025
Verb
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Some customers aren’t thrilled with their nitpicking nature.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
10 July 2025
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There may be more to it and perhaps PCS will nitpick.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
Verb
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For months, top state officials have been bickering about how best to deport people and positioning for Trump’s approval in the upcoming 2026 midterm races for governor, attorney general and other key positions.—
Katelyn Ferral,
Miami Herald,
1 July 2025
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In the days leading up to the decision, bickering among jury members appeared to delay the verdict.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
11 June 2025
Verb
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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
Verb
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Experts say the relatively simple way to survive this current is to float, stay as calm as possible and don’t fight it.—
Tresa Baldas,
Freep.com,
21 July 2025
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The tribe also has fought to preserve shrinking numbers of the c'waam and koptu, two fish species central to the three tribal cultures that form the tribe.—
Debra Utacia Krol,
AZCentral.com,
21 July 2025
Noun
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Its acceptance of vinyl chloride waste from the 2023 East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment led to protests from local, state and federal officials.—
Sophia Valchine,
Freep.com,
24 July 2025
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Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, has condemned the violence of both the raids and the protests, and is reportedly considering legal action on behalf of a Mexican man who fell from a rooftop and died during a raid in Southern California.—
Geraldo Cadava,
New Yorker,
23 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Quibble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quibble. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
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