definitions

captious

[ kap-shuhs ]
/ ˈkæp ʃəs /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR captious ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

apt to notice and make much of trivial faults or defects; faultfinding; difficult to please.
proceeding from a faultfinding or caviling disposition: He could never praise without adding a captious remark.
apt or designed to ensnare or perplex, especially in argument: captious questions.

RELATED WORDS

acrimonious, cantankerous, carping, censorious, contrary, crabby, cross, demanding, disparaging, exacting, fault-finding, finicky, hypercritical, irritable, peevish, perverse, petulant, sarcastic, severe, testy

Nearby words

captains of industry, captainship, captan, captcha, caption, captious, captivate, captive, captive audience, captive market, captivity

Origin of captious

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

Related forms

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for captious

British Dictionary definitions for captious

captious

/ (ˈkæpʃəs) /

adjective

apt to make trivial criticisms; fault-finding; carping

Derived Forms

captiously, adverbcaptiousness, noun

Word Origin for captious

C14 (meaning: catching in error): from Latin captiōsus, from captiō a seizing; see caption
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012