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Webster 1913 Edition

Cavil

Cav′il

(kăv′ĭl)
,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Caviled
or
Cavilled
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Caviling
or
Cavilling
.]
[L.
cavillari
to practice jesting, to censure, fr.
cavilla
bantering jests, sophistry: cf. OF.
caviller
.]
To raise captious and frivolous objections; to find fault without good reason.
You do not well in obstinacy
To
cavil
in the course of this contract.
Shakespeare

Cav′il

,
Verb.
T.
To cavil at.
[Obs.]
Milton.

Cav′il

,
Noun.
A captious or frivolous objection.
All the
cavils
of prejudice and unbelief.
Shakespeare

Webster 1828 Edition

Cavil

CAVIL

, v.i.
1.
To raise captious and frivolous objections; to find fault without good reason; followed by at.
It is better to reason than to cavil.
2.
To advance futile objections, or to frame sophisms, for the sake of victory in an argument.

CAVIL

,
Verb.
T.
To receive or treat with objections.
Wilt thou enjoy the good. Then civil the conditions.

CAVIL

,
Noun.
False or frivolous objections; also, a fallacious kind of reason, bearing some resemblance to truth, advanced for the sake of victory.

Definition 2024

cavil

cavil

English

Alternative forms

  • (17th–18th centuries; verb senses only): cavel, cavell

Verb

cavil ‎(third-person singular simple present cavils, present participle (UK) cavilling or (US) caviling, simple past and past participle (UK) cavilled or (US) caviled)

  1. (intransitive) To criticise for petty or frivolous reasons.
    • 1598?, William Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act I, scene I:
      'Tis love you cavil at: I am not Love.
    • 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 5, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad:
      Stranleigh found no difficulty in getting a cavalcade together at Bleacher’s station, an amazingly long distance west of New York. A man finds little trouble in obtaining what he wants, if he never cavils at the price asked, and is willing to pay in advance.
    • 1928, D. H. Lawrence, Lady Chatterley's Lover:
      I wish you wouldn't cavil, Hilda.

Synonyms

Translations

Noun

cavil ‎(plural cavils)

  1. A petty or trivial objection or criticism.
    • 1835, Charles G. Finney, Lectures on revivals of religion:
      It is not worth while to spend your time in arguing against a cavil, but make him feel he is committing a sin to plead it, and thus enlist his conscience on your side.

Translations

References

  1. 1 2 “cavil, n.” and “cavil, v.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary, second edition (1989)

Etymology

From Old French caviller ‎(“mock”, “jest”, “rail”), from Latin cavillor ‎(“jeer, mock, satirise, reason captiously”), from cavilla ‎(“jeering”, “raillery”, “scoffing”); cognate with Italian cavillare, Portuguese cavillar, and Spanish cavilar; nominal usage developed within English from the original verbal usage.[1]

Pronunciation

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