What is "cavillers"

Usage examples of "cavillers".

All around me, I repeat, I seem to hear the angry murmur of carpers cavilling and cavillers carping.

To meet the objections of some inveterate cavillers, I may as well state, that if I dined out occasionally, as I always had done, and I trust shall have opportunities to do again, it was frequently to the detriment of my domestic arrangements.

Nevertheless these cavillers at faith and exactors of reason, how do they dispose of those things of which a reason cannot be given, and which yet exist, though in apparent contrariety to the nature of things?