1
as in complained
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 bickered
to express different opinions about something often angrily
don't quibble over who gets to sit in front
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of quibbled
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
Those specific numbers can obviously be quibbled with.
—Aaron Gleeman, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
That trove included more than 300 black-and-white photographs, shared via JSTOR, which capture both Lulu the woman and Lulu the clown, though Lulu would have quibbled with the distinction.
—April White, JSTOR Daily, 18 Aug. 2025
Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
Those specific numbers can obviously be quibbled with.
—Aaron Gleeman, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
That trove included more than 300 black-and-white photographs, shared via JSTOR, which capture both Lulu the woman and Lulu the clown, though Lulu would have quibbled with the distinction.
—April White, JSTOR Daily, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quibbled
Verb
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Lawmakers have complained that redactions in the files appear to go beyond the limited exemptions allowed for in a law Congress passed nearly unanimously in November.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
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Raskin complained there are just four computers in a DOJ satellite office where lawmakers can review the documents.—
John Parkinson,
ABC News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The actors jokingly bickered about their history with the ceremony, with Cheadle remarking that Clooney hadn’t won since 2026 winner Timothée Chalamet was 3 years old.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
11 Jan. 2026
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On 33 occasions since 2017, Congress has been forced to pass emergency extensions to the flood insurance program, as lawmakers bickered over budgets and looming shutdowns threatened to disrupt it, according to a letter the National Association of Realtors sent to Congress ahead of the shutdown.—
Rukmini Callimachi,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Dunst doesn’t get fussed about that sort of thing.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
27 Nov. 2025
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Others might tell you that hosting an awards show is a thankless gig, but Bargatze doesn’t seem fussed.—
Lacey Rose,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Critics argued that the hotel industry was already faced with the minimum wage changes and low demand, and increasing taxes by any amount could send tourists to competing hotels in nearby cities.—
Sandra McDonald,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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In a 2014 editorial, the Times argued the federal ban on the drug should be repealed, and the decision should be left up to the individual states.—
Melissa Rudy,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Critics moaned when the CFP committee picked the Hurricanes over Notre Dame as the last Power 4 entry into the playoffs.—
Chris Hays,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Jan. 2026
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Strapped to a stretcher in the back of an ambulance, the shooting victim moaned, then screamed.—
Lauren Caruba,
Dallas Morning News,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For the past seven months, SDC has quarreled with state officials and lawmakers over its community action agency title.—
Gina Lee Castro,
jsonline.com,
26 Nov. 2025
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Rhoden's biggest political victory this year was getting the state Legislature to sign off on a $650 million plan in September to replace the 141-year-old state penitentiary, an issue the Legislature had quarreled over for years.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Nov. 2025
Verb
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As for one consistent complaint heard muttered amid bleary-eyed guests of the former Standard, Schrager confirms the appropriate adjustments have been made.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Nov. 2025
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But the other 3%, often muttered by students prospectively examining transfer applications, is distinct.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Last year, the budget process went into overtime as the two chambers fought over sales taxes and clashed with DeSantis.—
Jeffrey Schweers,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
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For the next three years, American forces—including approximately 10,000 American Indian soldiers—along with troops from 15 other nations, fought to prevent a Communist takeover.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quibbled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quibbled. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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