cavil
verb (used without object)
to raise irritating and trivial objections; find fault with unnecessarily (usually followed by at orabout ).
caviller
-
a word derived from
cavil.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The philosophic pessimist is not a fretful and malignant caviller who sneers at the follies of others because he thinks himself so much wiser than they.
From Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde"; an essay on the Wagnerian drama by George Ainslie Hight
And a caviller might raise all the same objections to the Copernican system, which you have urged against my reasonings.
From Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion by David Hume
Surely none but a caviller will find any want of harmony between these different modes of expression.
From The Theology of Holiness by Dougan Clark
The caviller may object to the application of the words “fine art” to culinary operations, but the objection rests on superficial thought.
From Behind the Bungalow by Edward Hamilton Aitken
In these discussions, although the caviller is heard with a tolerant courtesy, it is clear that faith is always in the ascendant.
From Roman Society from Nero to Marcus Aurelius by Samuel Dill
