He was known to cavil at most of Tom's proposals.
Source: tatoeba (10081288)
Cavil
//ˈkæv.əl//
Synonyms for "cavil" (135 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (27)
Strong matches (41)
Related words (67)
hypercriticismimputationjesuitismjoin issueknocklock hornslogomachizemootmystifynaggingnigglenigglingnitnit pickingnit-pickingobjectobloquyobscureovercriticalnesspalter
Show 42 more words
parrypesteringpettifoggingpick holespick nitspick to piecespleadpolemicizepolemizeprevaricatepriggishnessprodpull apartpull to piecespussyfootquibblingquiddityquilletquipquirkquodlibetrapreflectionreproachfulnessshiftshuffleshysidestepslamsparstrictureswipetake exceptiontake sidestaking exceptiontear aparttear to piecestergiversatethrash outtrichoschistismtry conclusionswrangle
Verb(3 words)
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
3 entriesSynonyms
5 entriesderived
2 entriesmanner of
1 entriesrelated to
5 entriesTranslations
43 translations across 17 languages.
Armenian
2 entries- բծախնդրություն noun (petty or trivial objection or criticism)
- բծախնդրություն անել verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
Bulgarian
2 entries- заяждане noun (petty or trivial objection or criticism)
- заяждам се verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 吹毛求疵 verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
- 挑剔 verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
Czech
4 entries- námitky noun (petty or trivial objection or criticism)
- kritizovat verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
- mít námitky verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
- mít připomínky verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
Dutch
1 entries- chicaneren verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
Finnish
2 entries- nipotus noun (petty or trivial objection or criticism)
- nipottaa verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
French
1 entries- chicaner verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
German
3 entries- kritteln verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
- nörgeln verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
- schikanieren verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
Greek
2 entries- μεμψιμοιρώ verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
- μικρολογώ verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
Hungarian
1 entries- piszkál verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
Italian
1 entries- cavillare verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
Macedonian
3 entries- пригова́рање noun (petty or trivial objection or criticism)
- се бу́ни verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
- ситни́чари verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
Polish
3 entries- drobne zastrzeżenie noun (petty or trivial objection or criticism)
- utyskiwać verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
- zrzędzić verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
Portuguese
4 entries- chicana noun (petty or trivial objection or criticism)
- sofisma noun (petty or trivial objection or criticism)
- chicanar verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
- sofismar verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
Romanian
4 entries- cicăleală noun (petty or trivial objection or criticism)
- pisălogeală noun (petty or trivial objection or criticism)
- șicană noun (petty or trivial objection or criticism)
- cicăli verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
Russian
2 entries- приди́рка noun (petty or trivial objection or criticism)
- придира́ться verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
Spanish
3 entries- poner pegas verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
- poner peros verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
- poner reparos verb (to criticise for petty or frivolous reasons)
Sample sentences
9 total sentences available.
In the case of Normandy, for instance, one man looks for magnificent architecture alone, another for country scenes, another for peasant life, and each and all will cavil at a book which does not cater for their particular taste.
Source: tatoeba (11863251)
I didn't expect him to cavil about such a minor detail.
Source: tatoeba (12440231)
'Tis love you cavil at: I am not Love.
Source: wiktionary
Showing 4 of 9 available sentences.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.