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
Shun Graves, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
But the Hornets won’t quibble much about that given how Flagg got hot during the second quarter, firing in 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting in nine minutes.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2026
Todd Martens, Boston Herald, 30 Nov. 2025
Culinary connectedness The latest durian quibble reflects a broader debate over national foods across Nusantara—which refers to the Malay Archipelago, extending across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Timor-Leste, and the Philippines.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quibble
Verb
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
But the Hornets won’t quibble much about that given how Flagg got hot during the second quarter, firing in 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting in nine minutes.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2026
Noun
The only quibble is the show primarily runs on weekends only.
—Todd Martens, Boston Herald, 30 Nov. 2025
Culinary connectedness The latest durian quibble reflects a broader debate over national foods across Nusantara—which refers to the Malay Archipelago, extending across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Timor-Leste, and the Philippines.
—Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for quibble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quibble
Verb
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Elsewhere, Super Mario Galaxy is hardly complaining about coming in second ruling the roost for weeks, since it’s now focused on becoming the first film of the year to join the billion-dollar club after finishing Sunday with a global total of $871 million.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Apr. 2026
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Commenters who never have been — and never will go — complain about the cost, the influencers, the hype.—
Andrea Domanick,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Trump has argued that last weekend’s shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner demonstrates why the ballroom is needed to hold safe, secure events for the president and other officials.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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Some have argued that social media activity amounts to citizen journalism, but mostly citizen journalism appeared to have been displaced or subsumed by social media.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Kelly said a decision to release surveillance footage despite investigators’ objections became a lasting distraction.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Coleman decided to blend Italian cooking with barbecue cooking by introducing BBQ spaghetti—in spite of her mother’s objections.—
Taylor Tobin,
Southern Living,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The key point here is to be fast, be clear and treat challenges as rare events for obvious misses, not some sort of default setting for nitpicking.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2026
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That meant making some hard choices and nitpicking reasons for why one place shouldn't be included.—
Will Richmond,
The Providence Journal,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Rollins and Breakker bickered over who was responsible for Breakker’s success.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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The two get to bickering about her terrible track record, with Dennis hilariously failing to realize that this accusation includes him among the questionable men.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Ever the dedicated mother, Stacy runs to her adult daughter’s aid, fussing at her for not using a driver for her errands.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2026
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The crime went unsolved for many years, prompting Mason to start making this movie in the early 2000s, and the immediate conclusion to jump to is that the LAPD maybe wasn’t too fussed about it.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Viel also finished the game by fighting Podkolzin.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
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Does the fact that none of this was effective—at least in the sense that Trump hasn’t been driven from the political scene for good—suggest that Democrats should now fight dirtier?—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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There was also a fan protest held outside of the FIFA Congress on Thursday in Vancouver.—
Paul Tenorio,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
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Activists have staged protests on the beach in Wismar calling for its liberation, while others have supported new ideas about how the whale could be transported.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quibble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quibble. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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