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Nearby Words
caviling
[kav-uhl] 
| Main Entry: |
cavil
[kav-uhl]
|
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | quibble |
| Synonyms: | carp, criticize, find fault |
| Main Entry: | captious |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | very critical |
| Synonyms: | acrimonious, cantankerous, carping, caviling, cavillous, censorious, contrary, crabby, cross, demanding, deprecating, disparaging, exacting, exceptive, fault-finding, finicky, hypercritical, irritable, nagging, nit-picking, overcritical, peevish, perverse, petulant, sarcastic, severe, testy, touchy |
| Antonyms: | commendatory, complimentary, encouraging, flattering, laudatory, praising |
| Main Entry: | carp |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | nag |
| Synonyms: | bother, cavil, censure, complain, criticize, find fault, fuss, grumble, hypercriticize, knock, nitpick, objurgate, pan, peck, pick at, quibble, reproach |
| Antonyms: | ignore, let go |
| Main Entry: | carping |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | complaining |
| Synonyms: | bellyaching, caviling, censorious, critical, criticizing, deprecatory, disparaging, fault-finding, griping, grouchy, grousing, grumbling, hypercritical, kvetching, moaning, nagging, niggling, nit-picking, overcritical, quibbling, scathing, whining |
| Antonyms: | complimentary, forgiving |
| Main Entry: | censorious |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | very critical |
| Synonyms: | accusatory, captious, carping, caviling, cavillous, chiding, complaining, condemnatory, condemning, critical, culpatory, denouncing, disapproving, disparaging, fault-finding, hypercritical, overcritical, reprehending, reproaching, severe |
| Antonyms: | complimentary, encouraging, flattering, laudatory, praising |
| Main Entry: | censure |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | condemn; criticize severely |
| Synonyms: | abuse, admonish, animadvert, asperse, attack, backbite, berate, blame, carp at, castigate, cavil, chastise, chide, contemn, cut up, denigrate, denounce, deprecate, disapprove, discipline, disparage, exprobate, find fault with, get after, impugn, incriminate, judge, knock, lecture, look askance, ostracize, pick apart, pull apart, read out, rebuff, rebuke, remonstrate, reprehend, reprimand, reproach, reprove, scold, take to task, tear apart, tell off, upbraid |
| Antonyms: | allow, approve, compliment, endorse, laud, permit, sanction |
| Main Entry: | complain |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | grumble about |
| Synonyms: | accuse, ascribe, attack, beef, bellyache, bemoan, bewail, bitch, carp, cavil, charge, contravene, criticize, defy, demur, denounce, deplore, deprecate, differ, disagree, disapprove, dissent, expostulate, find fault, fret, fuss, gainsay, grieve, gripe, groan, grouse, growl, grumble, impute, indict, kick up a fuss, lament, lay, look askance, make a fuss, moan, nag, object, oppose, protest, refute, remonstrate, repine, reproach, snivel, sound off, take exception to, wail, whimper, whine, yammer |
| Antonyms: | applaud, approve, be content, be happy, commend, praise, recommend, sanction |
| Main Entry: | critical |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | fault-finding, detracting |
| Synonyms: | analytical, belittling, biting, calumniatory, captious, carping, caviling, cavillous, censorious, censuring, choleric, condemning, critic, cutting, cynical, demanding, demeaning, derogatory, diagnostic, disapproving, discerning, discriminating, disparaging, exacting, exceptive, finicky, fussy, hairsplitting, humbling, hypercritical, lowering, nagging, niggling, nit-picking, overcritical, particular, penetrating, reproachful, sarcastic, satirical, scolding, severe, sharp, trenchant, withering |
| Antonyms: | complimentary, laudatory, praising |
| Main Entry: | criticism |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | verbal disapproval |
| Synonyms: | Bronx cheer, animadversion, aspersion, bad press, blast, brickbats, call down, carping, cavil, caviling, censure, critical remarks, cut*, denunciation, disparagement, faultfinding, flak, hit*, knock*, nit-picking, objection, opprobrium, pan, panning, put down, quibble, rap on knuckles, reproof, roast, slam*, slap on wrist, slap, static, stricture, swipe, vitriol, zapper |
| Antonyms: | approval, compliment, praise |
* = informal/non-formal usage
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2012 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition
Copyright © 2012 by the Philip Lief Group.
Cite This Source
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
