cavil 1 of 2

verb

ˈka-vəl How to pronounce cavil (audio)
Definition of cavilnext
as in to complain
to make often peevish criticisms or objections about matters that are minor, unimportant, or irrelevant caviled for hours about a single sentence

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cavil

2 of 2

noun

as in quibble

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cavil
Verb
However, the actual interiors of this four-bedroom home are nothing to cavil at. — Kelly Corbett, House Beautiful, 7 Oct. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cavil
  1. complain
  2. quibble
  3. nitpick
  4. quarrel
  5. fuss
  6. doubt
  7. moan
  8. dispute
Verb
  • That March, a seventy-year-old patient from a wealthy Cypriot family, Evie Lanitis, arrived at BioMed, complaining of a host of minor maladies, including bursitis in her toes, dental pain, and digestive issues.
    — D. T. Max, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
  • In the days before the spill was announced, residents complained of fuel-like odors pervading areas of Dubai and north.
    — Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of complain
Noun
  • But that quibble certainly doesn’t deny the endeavor a passing grade.
    — Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Still, this is a small quibble next to the accomplishment of this book.
    — John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2026
Definition of quibble
Verb
  • After decades of debate — and months of nitpicking a draft map released earlier this year — every house, business and government building was assigned its final number in September.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • This can lead to nitpicking as opposed to harnessing important details that can lead to practical solutions.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of nitpick
Noun
  • When a quarrel over an inheritance revives old hostilities, their relationship comes under pressure from greed and treachery in a conflict not of their making.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Aly’s quarrel begins with a name; Luna’s arrives at the rank implied by father.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of quarrel
Verb
  • Perhaps only a pedant—or a hypocrite—would fuss about that kind of imprecision.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026
  • If the offensive line’s healthy again, RB Saquon Barkley will ramble again, broadening QB Jalen Hurts’ margin for error and being fussed at by the coaching staff.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of fuss
Noun
  • Election deniers are using public records to sow doubt in California.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Those fiscal strains come as political volatility and social unrest raise doubts about the government’s ability to deliver measures aimed at stabilizing the public finances.
    — Jenni Reid,Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of doubt
Verb
  • It's been a big few months for Austin Abrams moaning and groaning his way through some of the worst situations imaginable.
    — Megan McCluskey, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • For a cold moment the silence locked a grip on our table, though it was broken, at the edges, by the golf commentators moaning and harrumphing, Rory McIlroy having had a canary on a seventeenth fairway somewhere this championship Sunday.
    — Kevin Barry, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of moan
Noun
  • But the movement has widened to include workers demanding relief from rising living costs, making the government’s task broader than resolving a dispute over university admissions.
    — Thomas Adamson, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Debt, the deficit and high interest rates limit the government’s ability to increase spending and foreshadow disputes over how to fund campaign promises without jeopardizing social programs.
    — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of dispute

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Cite this Entry

“Cavil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cavil. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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