[kav-uh
l] 
verb, -iled, -il⋅ing or (especially British) -illed, -il⋅ling, noun | 1. | to raise irritating and trivial objections; find fault with unnecessarily (usually fol. by at or about): He finds something to cavil at in everything I say. |
| 2. | to oppose by inconsequential, frivolous, or sham objections: to cavil each item of a proposed agenda. |
| 3. | a trivial and annoying objection. |
| 4. | the raising of such objections. |
| cav·il (kāv'əl) v. cav·iled also cav·illed, cav·il·ing also cav·il·ling, cav·ils also cav·ils v. intr. To find fault unnecessarily; raise trivial objections. See Synonyms at quibble. v. tr. To quibble about; detect petty flaws in. n. A carping or trivial objection. [French caviller, from Old French, from Latin cavillārī, to jeer, from cavilla, a jeering.] cav'il·er n. |