as in nitpicking
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in ambiguity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in complaining
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bickering
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quibbling
Noun
-
Director Flanagan handles the escalating insanity with suggestive ambiguity, nothing too bombastic for as long as the story allows.—
Michael Phillips,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2025 -
Leading in ongoing ambiguity demands emotional endurance, narrative agility and the strength to stay grounded while evolving at speed.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Verb
-
The irony of the quintessential real estate expert buying a home in the flight path of an international airport, then complaining about the noise, is not lost on the rest of Palm Beach County.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
8 Jan. 2025
-
The Buccaneers started complaining to the officials about fouls.—
CJ Moore,
The Athletic,
8 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
An alien spaceship has spiked an immensely popular bubblegum with an interdimensional ectoplasm that turns everyone who chews it into zombies, and the only ones who can save humanity are bickering foster brothers Daffy Duck and Porky Pig (both voiced by Eric Bauza).—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2025
-
Pratt, whose character plays like a cross between Han Solo and Jack Burton, is gifted with a moment or two, bickering with Herman like a married couple and yeeting cars at Sentre headquarters.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The family secrets were subtle but pervasive, reverberating not just through this nuclear family, but also across generations.—
Susan Walter
June 6,
Literary Hub,
6 June 2025
-
For games that ran mostly fine on the original Switch, the upgrades are more subtle but still impressive.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
6 June 2025
Verb
-
However, some Democrats, including Massachusetts Representative Seth Moulton, suggested the backlash was overblown, arguing that public opinion is shifting in favor of restrictions on transgender athletes.—
Tommy Tuberville,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
-
The president justified his decision by arguing that all three of the nations were not doing enough to curb the influx of drugs, specifically fentanyl, coming into the United States.—
Filip Timotija,
The Hill,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The consideration of labor market and demographic differences as part of the overall evaluation of how well colleges are serving their students allows for a more nuanced understanding of an institution's value proposition within its specific community, economy and state.—
Matt Gandal,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
-
Known as a darker version of the Doctor, McCoy’s performance has been praised for its layered and nuanced manipulation of both supporting characters and the audience.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
29 May 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Quibbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quibbling. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share