quibbling 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of quibblingnext
as in nitpicking

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quibbling

2 of 3

noun

as in ambiguity

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quibbling

3 of 3

verb

present participle of quibble
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

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2
as in bickering
to express different opinions about something often angrily don't quibble over who gets to sit in front

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for quibbling
  1. ambiguity
  2. complaining
  3. bickering
  4. subtle
  5. arguing
  6. nuanced
Noun
  • That also allows for some telling ambiguities: In a town that is fairly uniform in its comfortable whiteness, there’s little way to guess upfront where individuals may land on certain polarizing political issues.
    Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 Nov. 2024
  • This can contribute to a sense of purpose and direction and help team members overcome inevitable hurdles and times of ambiguity.
    Jacob Kupietzky, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Definition of ambiguity
Verb
  • Advertisement In Pennsylvania, for example, Republicans filed a lawsuit complaining the state’s rules for accepting absentee ballots that arrive with small errors, like a missing date on the envelope, are too lenient.
    Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2024
  • There had been a protest of several thousand people complaining about the flaunting of wealth that the America’s Cup represents.
    George Allen, Robb Report, 21 Oct. 2024
Definition of complaining
Verb
  • Right out of the gate, the brothers are in a contentious mood, needling each other with elbows and bickering like little siblings.
    Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2024
  • On Monday, after Rodgers and former head coach Robert Saleh had spent several months bickering over topics such as unexcused absences and cadence, the irritable quarterback won out again.
    Rob Reischel, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024
Definition of bickering
Adjective
  • The effect of these systems is subtle, as the driver should feel heroic, not overridden.
    Dan Carney, Popular Science, 7 Nov. 2024
  • Google | 🌱💡 The tech company continues to roll out subtle but smart sustainability features across many of its platforms.
    CNT Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Nov. 2024
Definition of subtle
Verb
  • The then gets out of the vehicle and the officer tells him they’re done arguing.
    Antonio Planas, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
  • San Francisco sued Oakland for infringing its airport’s trademarks in April, arguing the Oakland airport’s similar new name would confuse travelers.
    Reuters, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
Definition of arguing
Adjective
  • And often, to simplify the story and connect the dots in a more easily digestible way, a player may get editorial credit in the final cut for a move that, in reality, was more nuanced and involved multiple parties.
    Dalton Ross, EW.com, 21 Nov. 2024
  • But cargo container trade data reviewed by CNBC tells a more nuanced tale.
    Lori Ann LaRocco, CNBC, 21 Nov. 2024
Definition of nuanced
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near quibbling

quibbles

quibbling

quick

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Cite this Entry

“Quibbling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quibbling. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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More from Merriam-Webster on quibbling

Nglish: Translation of quibbling for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of quibbling for Arabic Speakers

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