Word Meanings - HAIRSPLITTER - Book Publishers vocabulary database

One who makes excessively nice or needless distinctions in reasoning; one who quibbles. "The caviling hairsplitter." De Quincey.

Related words: (words related to HAIRSPLITTER)

• REASONING
  1. The act or process of adducing a reason or reasons; manner of presenting one's reasons. 2. That which is offered in argument; proofs or reasons when arranged and developed; course of argument. His reasoning was sufficiently profound. Macaulay.
• NEEDLESS
  1. Having no need. Weeping into the needless stream. Shak. 2. Not wanted; unnecessary; not requiste; as, needless labor; needless expenses. 3. Without sufficient cause; groundless; cuseless. "Needless jealousy." Shak. -- Need"less*ly,
• REASONLESS
  1. Destitute of reason; as, a reasonless man or mind. Shak. 2. Void of reason; not warranted or supported by reason; unreasonable. This proffer is absurd and reasonless. Shak.
• REASONABLY
  1. In a reasonable manner. 2. Moderately; tolerably. "Reasonably perfect in the language." Holder.
• CAVIL; CAVILER; CAVILLER
  One who cavils. Cavilers at the style of the Scriptures. Boyle.
• REASONIST
  A rationalist. Such persons are now commonly called "reasonists" and "rationalists," to distinguish them from true reasoners and rational inquirers. Waterland.
• MAKESHIFT
  That with which one makes shift; a temporary expedient. James Mill. I am not a model clergyman, only a decent makeshift. G. Eliot.
• CAVILOUS; CAVILLOUS
  Characterized by caviling, or disposed to cavil; quibbing. -- Cav"il*ous*ly, adv. -- Cav"il*ous*ness, n.
• REASONABLE
  1. Having the faculty of reason; endued with reason; rational; as, a reasonable being. 2. Governed by reason; being under influence of reason; thinking, speaking or acting rationally, or according to the dictates of reason; agreeable to reason;
• REASONABLENESS
  Quality of being reasonable.
• CAVILLATION
  Frivolous or sophistical objection. Hooker.
• CAVILING
  Disposed to cavil; finding fault without good reason. See Captious. His depreciatory and caviling criticism. Lewis.
• CAVIL
  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. Shak.
• REASON
  Ratio; proportion. Barrow. By reason of, by means of; on account of; because of. "Spain is thin sown of people, partly by reason of the sterility of the soil." Bacon. In reason, In all reason, in justice; with rational ground; in a right view.
• CAVILINGLY
  In a caviling manner.
• HAIRSPLITTER
  One who makes excessively nice or needless distinctions in reasoning; one who quibbles. "The caviling hairsplitter." De Quincey.
• REASONER
  One who reasons or argues; as, a fair reasoner; a close reasoner; a logical reasoner.
• UNREASONABLE
  Not reasonable; irrational; immoderate; exorbitant. -- Un*rea"son*a*ble*ness, n. -- Un*rea"son*a*bly, adv.
• TREASONABLE
  Pertaining to treason; consisting of treason; involving the crime of treason, or partaking of its guilt. Most men's heads had been intoxicated with imaginations of plots and treasonable practices. Clarendon. Syn. -- Treacherous; traitorous;
• OUTREASON
  To excel or surpass in reasoning; to reason better than. South.
• UNREASONED
  Not supported by reason; unreasonable. "Unreasoned habits." Burke.
• UNREASON
  Want of reason; unreasonableness; absurdity. Abbot of Unreason. See Abbot of Misrule, under Abbot.