cavil
cavil — 動詞
- 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
挑剔
對不重要的小事提出無理異議
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.
Yuki 挑剔帳單上的費用，質疑一筆五十美分的餐巾紙收費。
cavil at + noun for a specific charge
Instead of discussing the proposal, Kwame cavilled about the font on the title slide.
Kwame 不去討論提案，反而挑剔標題投影片的字型。
cavil about + minor detail
Amina's teammates grew tired of her cavilling at every comma in the shared document.
Amina 的同事受夠了她對共用文件裡每個逗號都挑剔不已。
The reviewer cavilled about one obscure footnote while ignoring the paper's central argument.
審稿人挑剔一個冷門的腳註，卻忽略了論文的核心論點。
Mr. Okonkwo would cavil at the schedule every Monday, objecting to small time shifts.
Okonkwo 先生每週一都會挑剔行程表，對細微的時間調整提出異議。
- 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 — 名詞
- cavilsingular
- cavilsplural
1. an objection or complaint about a minor, unimportant point — often one that dist
無理抱怨
針對細節提出的瑣碎異議
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.
經理把 Beatriz 的意見當作對開始時間的無理抱怨而擱置一旁。
a cavil about + arrangement detail
The lawyer's objection was a cavil about wording, not a genuine challenge to the deal.
律師的反對只是對措辭的無理抱怨，並非對交易真正的質疑。
a cavil about + wording
Chidi ignored the cavil about formatting and moved on to the budget figures.
Chidi 不理會對格式的無理抱怨，繼續討論預算數字。
Every minor cavil from the back row only delayed the town hall meeting further.
來自後排的每一個小抱怨都只會進一步拖延里民大會。
Lin raised a cavil about the chairs, though everyone else found them perfectly comfortable.
Lin 對椅子的擺放提出了無理抱怨，雖然其他人覺得十分舒適。
- 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.