cavil
cavil — verb
- cavilpresent simple I / you / we / they
- cavilshe / she / it
- cavilledpast simple
- caviledpast simple
- cavilling-ing form
- caviling-ing form
1. to keep raising small, unfair objections to unimportant details in a way that an
to keep raising small, unfair objections to unimportant details in a way that annoys or frustrates the people around you
Yuki cavilled at the restaurant bill, questioning a fifty-cent charge for extra napkins.
cavil at + noun for a specific charge
Instead of discussing the proposal, Kwame cavilled about the font on the title slide.
cavil about + minor detail
Amina's teammates grew tired of her cavilling at every comma in the shared document.
The reviewer cavilled about one obscure footnote while ignoring the paper's central argument.
Mr. Okonkwo would cavil at the schedule every Monday, objecting to small time shifts.
- quibble
more common and slightly less formal than cavil; often used about wording or definitions
- nitpick
everyday, colloquial term for finding tiny faults; less formal than cavil
- carp
similar in register; emphasises persistent, nagging complaining over time
- find fault
broader term; can describe both reasonable and unreasonable criticism
文法句型
cavil at + noun
cavil about + noun
cavil + that-clause
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'at' or 'about' before the thing being criticised. Transitive use without a preposition ('cavil something') is very rare and sounds old-fashioned. The subject is typically a person who is seen as difficult or unnecessarily fussy.
常見錯誤
❌ 'She cavilled that the plan was unfair.' — while technically grammatical, this pattern is extremely rare; rephrase to 'She cavilled at the plan, calling it unfair.' for natural modern English.
cavil — noun
- cavilsingular
- cavilsplural
1. an objection or complaint about a minor, unimportant point — often one that dist
an objection or complaint about a minor, unimportant point — often one that distracts from the real issue being discussed
The manager dismissed Beatriz's concern as a cavil about the start time.
a cavil about + arrangement detail
The lawyer's objection was a cavil about wording, not a genuine challenge to the deal.
a cavil about + wording
Chidi ignored the cavil about formatting and moved on to the budget figures.
Every minor cavil from the back row only delayed the town hall meeting further.
Lin raised a cavil about the chairs, though everyone else found them perfectly comfortable.
- commendation
a formal expression of praise, the opposite of a complaint
用法筆記
Typically used with verbs like 'raise', 'dismiss', or 'ignore'. Often appears in contexts where someone is seen as avoiding the main point. Distinguish from the verb sense (verb/1): the noun names the complaint itself, while the verb describes the act of making it.
常見錯誤
❌ 'That is just a cavil.' (dismissing a genuine argument) — use 'cavil' only when the objection genuinely focuses on something trivial, not to dismiss any complaint you disagree with.