cav·il (k v  l)v. cav·iled also cav·illed, cav·il·ing also cav·il·ling, cav·ils also cav·ils v.intr. To find fault unnecessarily; raise trivial objections. See Synonyms at quibble. v.tr. To quibble about; detect petty flaws in. n. A carping or trivial objection. [French caviller, from Old French, from Latin cavill  r , to jeer, from cavilla, a jeering.]cav il·er n. |
cavil [ˈkævɪl]
vb -ils, -illing, -illed US, -ils -iling, -iled
(intr; foll by at or about) to raise annoying petty objections; quibble; carp
n
a captious trifling objection
[from Old French caviller, from Latin cavillārī to jeer, from cavilla raillery]
caviller n
cavilling adj
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | cavil - an evasion of the point of an argument by raising irrelevant distinctions or objections equivocation, evasion - a statement that is not literally false but that cleverly avoids an unpleasant truth |
| Verb | 1. | cavil - raise trivial objections object - express or raise an objection or protest or criticism or express dissent; "She never objected to the amount of work her boss charged her with"; "When asked to drive the truck, she objected that she did not have a driver's license" |
cavil
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