quibble
Americannoun
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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
-
the general use of such arguments.
-
petty or carping criticism; a minor objection.
verb (used without object)
-
to equivocate.
-
to carp; cavil.
verb
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to make trivial objections; prevaricate
-
archaic to play on words; pun
noun
-
a trivial objection or equivocation, esp one used to avoid an issue
-
archaic a pun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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quibblesimple
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quibblessimple
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have quibbledperfect
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has quibbledperfect
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am quibblingprogressive
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are quibblingprogressive
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is quibblingprogressive
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have been quibblingperfect progressive
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has been quibblingperfect progressive
Past
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quibbledsimple
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had quibbledperfect
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was quibblingprogressive
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were quibblingprogressive
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had been quibblingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of quibble
1605–15; perhaps derivative ( cf. -le) of quib gibe, apparently akin to quip
Explanation
A quibble is a small argument or fight. As a verb, it means to pick a mini-fight over something that doesn't really matter. "Let's not quibble over price," people will say, usually when they plan to gouge you. It's better to watch figure skating with the sound off, rather than listening to the announcers quibble over a not-fully-rotated knee or the slightly diminished altitude of a jump. Sometimes a quibble between neighbors over two feet of property can escalate into a major feud.
Vocabulary lists containing quibble
Fahrenheit 451
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List 7
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This Week in Words: October 28 - November 2, 2018
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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.
See Examples For:
People may want to quibble with me about this, but I believe marinated beans occupy a category adjacent to, yet ontologically distinct from, bean salad.
From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2026
The band, expanded to include touring keyboardist Loren Gold, seemed exhilarated, if a little stiff at times, a first-night quibble that will surely self-correct.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
That affords the company little room for error, Lee said in a Tuesday note, and he found something else to quibble with in the latest report.
From MarketWatch ● May 5, 2026
Many will quibble with the Georgia Senate’s income tax relief plan, and the Journal has provided helpful guidance for how the proposal could be improved as it moves through the legislative process.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
They were working for the Man in an unequal, sometimes unjust society—I doubt that many would quibble with that description.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Forget the quibbles about not being pleasing on the eye or too many set-pieces.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
While some of the quibbles with ServiceNow’s latest earnings are more company-specific, including margin impacts related to recent deal closures, other aspects may have wider implications for the sector.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 23, 2026
This goes to all the quibbles that we surfaced about the shadow docket when Vasquez Perdomo came out.
From Slate ● Dec. 30, 2025
During the 2000s, the agency’s oncology chief, Richard Pazdur, torpedoed treatments based on quibbles with their trial designs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 16, 2025
For the first time, Lawrence heard a physicist with a solid grasp of subatomic behavior express support for his idea rather than smothering it in quibbles.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Close hasn’t quibbled with her team’s seeding despite its impressive 31-1 regular-season record against a loaded schedule.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026
Other experts have quibbled with certain details, questioning the plausibility of a “bolt from the blue” attack or noting that the U.S. would almost certainly launch many more interceptors.
From Slate ● Mar. 13, 2026
He quibbled that the control group in Moderna’s late-stage trial didn’t receive the “best-available standard of care.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026
I don't think anyone would have quibbled at all.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2023
Danny and Joe chattered, quibbled, and stuffed their mouths, oblivious to the tension in the air.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Semantics are more important than they may seem; it’s not just about quibbling over language.
From Salon ● May 8, 2026
It was a mistake to think that you could give the beach cottage to these quibbling brothers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025
But she dismissed arguments that regular sugar is less processed as "completely quibbling", noting that both products require stripping out fibre and other nutritional benefits.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2025
I recognize that this is confusing, and all of the above may seem like minor linguistic quibbling to those less aware of the history.
From Slate ● Apr. 30, 2025
This wasn’t the time or the place for moral quibbling.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
