Meaning of CAVIL
| Pronunciation: | | 'kavul
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 WordNet Dictionary |
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| | Definition: | | [v] raise trivial objections |
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| | Synonyms: | | carp, chicane |
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| | See Also: | | object | |
| Webster's 1913 Dictionary |
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| | Definition: | |
\Cav"il\ (k[a^]v"[i^]l), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Caviled} or
{Cavilled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Caviling} or {Cavilling}.] [L.
cavillari to practice jesting, to censure, fr. cavilla
bantering jests, sophistry: cf. OF. caviller.]
To raise captious and frivolous objections; to find fault
without good reason.
You do not well in obstinacy To cavil in the course of
this contract. --Shak.
\Cav"il\, v. t.
To cavil at. [Obs.] --Milton.
\Cav"il\, n.
A captious or frivolous objection.
All the cavils of prejudice and unbelief. --Shak.
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| Thesaurus Terms |
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| | Related Terms: | | adverse criticism, animadversion, argue, argufy, around the bush, aspersion, bad notices, bad press, bandy words, beat about, beg the question, bicker, boggle, captiousness, carp, carping, catch at straws, caviling, censoriousness, censure, chicane, choplogic, complain, complaint, contend, contest, criticism, criticize, cross swords, cut and thrust, cut up, demur, discept, dispute, dodge, equivocate, evade, evade the issue, exception, fault-find, faultfinding, fence, find fault, flak, give and take, hairsplitting, hassle, have it out, hedge, hit, home thrust, hostile criticism, hypercriticalness, hypercriticism, imputation, jesuitism, join issue, knock, lock horns, logomachize, moot, mystify, nagging, niggle, niggling, nit, nitpick, nit-picking, object, obloquy, obscure, overcriticalness, palter, parry, pestering, pettifog, pettifogging, pick holes, pick nits, pick to pieces, plead, polemicize, polemize, prevaricate, priggishness, pull apart, pull to pieces, pussyfoot, quibble, quibbling, quiddity, quillet, quip, quirk, quodlibet, rap, reflection, reproachfulness, shift, shuffle, shy, sidestep, slam, spar, split hairs, stricture, swipe, take exception, take sides, taking exception, tear apart, tear to pieces, tergiversate, thrash out, trichoschistism, try conclusions, wrangle |
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