Pronunciation: /ˈkævəlɪŋ/

Definitions of caviling

verb to raise petty or frivolous objections; to find fault unnecessarily

Example Sentences

A1 She is always caviling about the littlest things.

A2 The customer started caviling about the quality of the product.

B1 The journalist is known for caviling politicians during interviews.

B2 Some critics spend more time caviling than appreciating the artist's work.

C1 The lawyer's job is to cavil the witness in court to find inconsistencies.

C2 The professor is known for caviling his students' arguments to make them think critically.

adjective tending to find fault in a petty or trivial way; carping

Example Sentences

A1 She is always caviling about the weather, no matter what it is like.

A2 The caviling customer complained about every little detail of the product.

B1 The reviewer's caviling remarks made it clear that they were not satisfied with the service.

B2 Despite his caviling attitude, he eventually agreed to the terms of the contract.

C1 Her caviling nature often led to disagreements and arguments in the workplace.

C2 The professor's caviling critiques pushed the students to think more critically about their research.

Examples of caviling in a Sentence

formal The lawyer's caviling over minor details delayed the trial.

informal Stop caviling and just enjoy the party.

slang Why are you caviling about everything? Just chill out.

figurative Her constant caviling was like a dark cloud hanging over the group.

Grammatical Forms of caviling

past tense

caviled

plural

cavilers

comparative

more caviling

superlative

most caviling

present tense

cavils

future tense

will cavil

perfect tense

have caviled

continuous tense

is caviling

singular

caviler

positive degree

caviling

infinitive

to cavil

gerund

caviling

participle

caviled

Origin and Evolution of caviling

First Known Use: 1250 year
Language of Origin: Middle English, Old French
Story behind the word: The word 'caviling' originated from the Middle English word 'cavillen' which came from the Old French word 'caviller' meaning 'to reason sophistically, quibble'.
Evolution of the word: Over time, 'caviling' has evolved to mean raising trivial and frivolous objections or finding fault in a petty way.