quibble

quib·ble

Use quibble in a sentence

noun

Quibble is defined as a petty, irrelevant or evasive argument.
An example of a quibble is comparing a serious political issue to a minor daily life issue.

verb

To quibble is defined as to use petty, trivial expressions or arguments when discussing an issue.
An example of to quibble is to provide excuses instead of saying the truth.

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"quibble." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Quibble>.

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quibble. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Quibble

quibble

Obs. a play on words; pun
an evasion of the main point as by emphasizing some petty detail; cavil
a petty objection or criticism

Origin of quibble

diminutive from obsolete quib from Classical Latin quibus, ablative plural of qui, which, who: quibus was common in legal documents

intransitive verb

-·bled, -·bling

to evade the truth of a point under discussion by caviling; resort to a quibble

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MLA Style

"quibble." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Quibble>.

APA Style

quibble. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Quibble

quibble

intransitive verb

quib·bled, quib·bling, quib·bles

To argue or find fault over trivial matters or minor concerns; cavil.

noun

A trivial matter or minor concern raised in arguing or finding fault.
Archaic A pun.

Origin of quibble

Probably diminutive of obsolete quib equivocation perhaps from Latin quibus dative and ablative pl. of quī who, what (from its frequent use in legal documents) ; see k^wo- in Indo-European roots.

Related Forms:

quib′bler
noun

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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MLA Style

"quibble." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Quibble>.

APA Style

quibble. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Quibble

quibble

quibble carp ¹cavil niggle nitpick pettifog

These verbs mean to raise petty or frivolous objections or complaints: quibbling about minor details; a critic who constantly carped; caviling about the price of coffee; an editor who niggled about commas; tried to stop nitpicking all the time; pettifogging about trivialities.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Link to this page

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MLA Style

"quibble." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Quibble>.

APA Style

quibble. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Quibble

Noun

(plural quibbles)

A trivial or minor complaint, objection or argument.
He harped on his quibble about how the dark red paint should be described as carmine rather than burgundy.
A shift or turn from the point in question; a trifling or evasive distinction; a cavil.

Verb

(third-person singular simple present quibbles, present participle quibbling, simple past and past participle quibbled)

(intransitive) To complain or argue in a trivial or petty manner.
They are constantly quibbling over insignificant details.

Origin

From a diminutive of Latin quibus, which appeared frequently in legal documents.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"quibble." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Quibble>.

APA Style

quibble. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Quibble

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