- present participle of cavil.
caviling
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
So what was I caviling about to myself during intermission?
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2025
Someone better warn these caviling critics about Hamlet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2021
It would come off as cheeky caviling to basically say, “I don’t like the way you defended me and my property from a criminal.”
From Slate ● Mar. 31, 2016
It was hard to fault Woods’s performance, even after all the caviling about timing his announcement in the middle of a golf tournament and the ban on reporters’ questions.
From New York Times ● Feb. 20, 2010
He had been twice wounded in his country's service, and he was rewarded by jealousy, caviling, and a court-martial.
From This Country of Ours by H. E. (Henrietta Elizabeth) Marshall