Skip to main content

cavilto make petty or unnecessary objections; to find fault unreasonably

Part of speech: VERB

Definition: to make petty or unnecessary objections; to find fault unreasonably

Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈkævɪl/

Korean meaning: 사소한 흠을 잡다, 트집을 잡다, 불필요하게 반대하다

Korean pronunciation: **캐**빌

Example Sentences

  • The food critic caviled at the slightly crooked garnish, ignoring the delicious meal.
  • Instead of caviling at minor errors, focus on the main message.
  • My grandmother cavils at everything from my haircut to my choice of socks.

cavil

VERB

//ˈkævɪl//

to make petty or unnecessary objections; to find fault unreasonably

cavil concept
💡 Concept

A demanding critic cavils about minor flaws in the chef's excellent dish

cavil rhyme
🎵 Rhyme

His constant cavil makes their travel plans unravel!

🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/ˈkævɪl/
🇬🇧 UK/ˈkævɪl/

🌳Etymology

Rootcavil

Origin

From Latin 'cavillari' meaning 'to jest, mock, or make fun of.' The meaning evolved from 'making something ridiculous' to 'finding fault with trivial matters.'

🎵Rhyme

travelgravelunravel
travel
gravel
unravel

🔗Collocations

cavil at something
cavil about details
petty cavils
constant caviling
cavil and criticize

📝Examples

😄 Fun example

The food critic caviled at the slightly crooked garnish, ignoring the delicious meal.

Instead of caviling at minor errors, focus on the main message.

😄 Fun example

My grandmother cavils at everything from my haircut to my choice of socks.

The lawyer's cavils about punctuation delayed the contract signing.

📚Related Words

Synonyms

nitpickquibblecarpcriticizefind fault

Antonyms

praiseapprovecommend

Related

complainobjectdisputecensure

Want to master 19,000+ words?

Sign up free for flashcards & quizzes.