cavil

[ kav-uhl ]

/ ˈkæv əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cavil ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), cav·iled, cav·il·ing or (especially British) cav·illed, cav·il·ling.

to raise irritating and trivial objections; find fault with unnecessarily (usually followed by at or about): He finds something to cavil at in everything I say.

verb (used with object), cav·iled, cav·il·ing or (especially British) cav·illed, cav·il·ling.

to oppose by inconsequential, frivolous, or sham objections: to cavil each item of a proposed agenda.

noun

a trivial and annoying objection.

the raising of such objections.

RELATED WORDS

carp, criticize

Nearby words

Origin of cavil

1540–50; < Latin cavillārī to jeer, scoff, quibble, verbal derivative of cavilla jesting, banter

SYNONYMS FOR cavil

1 carp, complain, criticize.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cavil ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

cav·il·er; especially British, cav·il·ler, nouncav·il·ing·ly; especially British, cav·il·ling·ly, adverbout·cav·il, verb (used with object), out·cav·iled, out·cav·il·ing or (especially British) out·cav·illed, out·cav·il·ling.un·cav·il·ing, adjective

un·cav·il·ling, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cavilling

"Shadow-boxing," he observed in a cavilling spirit to his companion.
The Adventures of Sally|P. G. Wodehouse
The most cavilling sectarian cannot accuse the foregoing with containing the least ingredient of persecution.
The Writings of Thomas Paine, Vol. I|Thomas Paine
Carp′er, one who carps or cavils; Carp′ing, cavilling: fault-finding.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)|Various
I do think, dear, you are only cavilling and making difficulties.
A Likely Story|William De Morgan

And Plato's banquet is full of mockers, cavilling at one another; for I say nothing of the digression about Alcibiades.
The Deipnosophists, or Banquet of the Learned of Athenus|Athenus

British Dictionary definitions for cavilling

cavil

/ (ˈkævɪl) /

verb -ils, -illing or -illed or US -ils, -iling or -iled

(intr; foll by at or about) to raise annoying petty objections; quibble; carp

noun

a captious trifling objection

Derived Formscaviller, nouncavilling, adjective

Word Origin for cavil

C16: from Old French caviller, from Latin cavillārī to jeer, from cavilla raillery

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cavilling

cavil

1540s, from Middle French caviller "to mock, jest," from Latin cavillari "to jeer, mock; satirize, argue scoffingly" (also source of Italian cavillare, Spanish cavilar), from cavilla "jest, jeering," related to calumnia (see calumny).