Cavil Definition

kăvəl
caviled, caviling, cavilled, cavilling, cavils
verb
caviled, caviling, cavilled, cavilling, cavils
To object when there is little reason to do so; resort to trivial faultfinding; carp; quibble (at or about)
Webster's New World
To argue or find fault over trivial matters; raise petty objections.
American Heritage
To quibble about; point out petty flaws in.
American Heritage

(intransitive) To criticise for petty or frivolous reasons.

Wiktionary
Synonyms:
noun
cavils
A trivial objection; quibble.
Webster's New World

A petty or trivial objection or criticism.

Wiktionary
Synonyms:

Origin of Cavil

  • From Old French caviller (“mock”, “jest”, “rail”), from Latin cavillor (“jeer, mock, satirise, reason captiously”), from cavilla (“jeering”, “raillery”, “scoffing”); cognate with Italian cavillare, Portuguese cavillar, and Spanish cavilar; nominal usage developed within English from the original verbal usage.

    From Wiktionary

  • French caviller from Old French from Latin cavillārī to jeer from cavilla a jeering

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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