- to make trivial objections; prevaricate
- archaic to play on words; pun
- a trivial objection or equivocation, esp one used to avoid an issue
- archaic a pun
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
quib•bling
(kwib′ling),USA pronunciation adj.
n.
quib′bling•ly, adv.
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026- characterized by or consisting of quibbles;
carping;
niggling:quibbling debates.
n.
- the act of a person who quibbles.
- an instance of quibbling:a relationship marked by frequent quibblings.
- quibble + -ing2, -ing1 1650–60
quib•ble /ˈkwɪbəl/USA pronunciation
n., v., -bled, -bling.
n. [countable]
v. [no object]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026n. [countable]
- a criticism about something very small:a few quibbles about an otherwise great success.
v. [no object]
- to complain about small and unimportant matters:quibbling over a few dollars.
quib•ble
(kwib′əl),USA pronunciation n., v., -bled, -bling.
n.
v.i.
quib′bler, n.
n.
- an instance of the use of ambiguous, prevaricating, or irrelevant language or arguments to evade a point at issue.
- the general use of such arguments.
- petty or carping criticism;
a minor objection.
v.i.
- to equivocate.
- to carp;
cavil.
- perh. derivative (compare -le) of quib gibe, apparently akin to quip 1605–15
- 1. evasion, equivocation, sophism, shift, ambiguity.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
quibble /ˈkwɪbəl/ vb (intransitive)
'quibbling' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):