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quibbling

quib·bling
Q q

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [kwib-ling]
    • /ˈkwɪb lɪŋ/
    • /ˈkwɪb.l̩/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [kwib-ling]
    • /ˈkwɪb lɪŋ/

Definitions of quibbling word

  • adjective quibbling characterized by or consisting of quibbles; carping; niggling: quibbling debates. 1
  • noun quibbling an instance of the use of ambiguous, prevaricating, or irrelevant language or arguments to evade a point at issue. 1
  • noun quibbling the general use of such arguments. 1
  • noun quibbling petty or carping criticism; a minor objection. 1
  • verb without object quibbling to equivocate. 1
  • verb without object quibbling to carp; cavil. 1

Information block about the term

Origin of quibbling

First appearance:

before 1650
One of the 45% oldest English words
First recorded in 1650-60; quibble + -ing2, -ing1

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Quibbling

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

quibbling popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 85% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
According to our data about 54% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

quibbling usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for quibbling

noun quibbling

  • perfectionism — any of various doctrines holding that religious, moral, social, or political perfection is attainable.
  • non sequitur — Logic. an inference or a conclusion that does not follow from the premises.
  • hairsplitting — the making of unnecessarily fine distinctions.
  • deceptiveness — apt or tending to deceive: The enemy's peaceful overtures may be deceptive.
  • inexactness — The characteristic or quality of being inexact; a lack of precision, accuracy, or certainty.

adjective quibbling

  • carping — tending to make petty complaints; fault-finding
  • complaining — to express dissatisfaction, pain, uneasiness, censure, resentment, or grief; find fault: He complained constantly about the noise in the corridor.
  • griping — Informal. to complain naggingly or constantly; grumble.
  • niggling — petty; trivial; inconsequential: to quibble about a niggling difference in terminology.
  • fault-finding — the act of pointing out faults, especially faults of a petty nature; carping.

See also

Matching words

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