quibble

American  

[kwib-uhl] / ˈkwɪb əl /

noun

1. an instance of the use of ambiguous, prevaricating, or irrelevant language or arguments to evade a point at issue.

   Synonyms:

   ambiguity, shift, sophism, equivocation, evasion

2. the general use of such arguments.

3. petty or carping criticism; a minor objection.

---

verb (used without object)

quibbled, quibbling

1. to equivocate.

2. to carp; cavil.

quibble British  

/ ˈkwɪbəl /

verb

1. to make trivial objections; prevaricate

2. archaic to play on words; pun

---

noun

1. a trivial objection or equivocation, esp one used to avoid an issue

2. archaic a pun

Other Word Forms

• outquibble verb (used with object)
• quibbler noun
• quibbling adjective
• quibblingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of quibble

1605–15; perhaps derivative ( -le ) of quib gibe, apparently akin to quip

Example Sentences

I quibble with that—because the code is open-source, it doesn’t matter who was behind it, any more than it matters who minted the first gold coin.

From The Wall Street Journal

Such quibbles miss the larger point: Bollywood is examining Islamic terrorism with a seriousness that’s long overdue.

From The Wall Street Journal

It was a mistake to think that you could give the beach cottage to these quibbling brothers.

From The Wall Street Journal

The only quibble is the show primarily runs on weekends only.

From Los Angeles Times

But this is a minor quibble for a film that, like the “Nebraska” album itself, rightly dares to elevate the making of a solo acoustic record into high art.

From Salon

Related Words

• bicker
• carp
• spar
• squabble
• waffle
• wrangle