captious

American  

[kap-shuhs] / ˈkæp ʃəs /

adjective

1. apt to notice and make much of trivial faults or defects; faultfinding; difficult to please.

   Synonyms:

   testy, picky, niggling, carping

2. proceeding from a faultfinding or caviling disposition.

   He could never praise without adding a captious remark.

3. apt or designed to ensnare or perplex, especially in argument.

   captious questions.

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captious British  

/ ˈkæpʃəs /

adjective

1. apt to make trivial criticisms; fault-finding; carping

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Other Word Forms

• captiously adverb
• captiousness noun
• noncaptious adjective
• noncaptiously adverb
• noncaptiousness noun
• overcaptious adjective
• overcaptiously adverb
• overcaptiousness noun
• uncaptious adjective
• uncaptiously adverb
• uncaptiousness noun

Etymology

Origin of captious

1350–1400; Middle English capcious < Latin captiōsus sophistical, equivalent to capti ( ō ) a taking, hence, sophism ( caption ) + -ōsus -ous

Example Sentences

But when the two reconvene, there is no talk of favors or captious admonishments, only the authentic joy of seeing a friend’s familiar face after so long.

From Salon • Dec. 11, 2024

Still, readers shouldn’t be overly captious about this diverting, light entertainment.

From Washington Post • Oct. 2, 2018

District Judge Renee Marie Bumb likened claims that Hartford's fund board allowed excessive fees to "armchair quarterbacking and captious nit-picking."

From Reuters • Dec. 27, 2016

She can be a captious and irritable mother-in-law to Ruth, and you feel the friction between the dominating women in Walter’s life.

From New York Times • Apr. 4, 2014

Georgiana, who had a spoiled temper, a very acrid spite, a captious and insolent carriage, was universally indulged.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë