cavil
verb (used without object)
to raise irritating and trivial objections; find fault with unnecessarily (usually followed by at orabout ).
cavils
-
present tense formof cavil (3rd person singular).present tense
Used to describe things happening now or regularly.
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.
This proposal generated cavils in the chattering classes that it would drive home prices up to absorb the $25,000 grant, putatively keeping homes out of the reach of the beneficiaries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2024
Inevitably, as in any operatic career, there were critical cavils.
From New York Times ● Oct. 6, 2018
Don’t be put off by these cavils, though.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2018
It is meant to be fun to read and, setting aside my fogeyish cavils, it is.
From Washington Post
For there were jealous people everywhere; envy stalks rampant through the world; failure cavils at mediocrity, mediocrity sneers at genius.
From The Trail to Yesterday by Charles Alden Seltzer
