cavil

intransitive-verb
UK: /ˈkæv.ɪl/
US: /ˈkæv.əl/

  1. To make petty or unnecessary objections; to find fault trivially.

    1. He likes to cavil about everything.
    2. She would cavil at the price, even if it was a bargain, just to argue.

Synonyms

nitpick carp quibble criticize objection grumble
cavil verb

  1. To raise irritating and trivial objections; to dispute minor points.

    1. Stop caviling, it's not important.
    2. They cavil about the smallest details instead of focusing on main goals.
cavil noun

  1. A trivial objection or criticism; a minor fault.

    1. That's a small cavil, really.
    2. His cavils are annoying, but mostly harmless, and he means well.

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "cavil" is /ˈkæv.ɪl/ in British English and /ˈkæv.əl/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "cavil": nitpick, carp, quibble, criticize, objection, grumble.

Example usage of "cavil": "He likes to cavil about everything.". More examples on the page.