quibble KWIB-uhl verb noun WS #34

to argue or raise objections about a trivial matter; to evade the truth or importance of an issue by raising trivial distinctions and objections; to find fault unnecessarily

1. Rather than quibble about semantics, let's address the fundamental problem we're trying to solve.
2. The students began to quibble about the fairness of the test questions instead of studying harder.
3. The lawyer tried to quibble about the exact wording of the contract to avoid his client's responsibilities.
4. Don't quibble over small details when we need to focus on the major issues at hand.
5. She tends to quibble about every minor expense on the restaurant bill, even amounts under a dollar.

a slight objection or criticism about a trivial matter; a minor complaint or argument; an evasion of or shift from the point

1. His only quibble with the excellent proposal was the timeline for implementation.
2. Despite her general approval, she raised one small quibble about the project's budget allocation.
3. The editor had a minor quibble about the author's word choice in the final paragraph.
4. The quibble over parking assignments seemed petty compared to the company's larger organizational challenges.
5. The peace negotiations stalled over a quibble about the exact language used in the treaty.