quizzical
Americanadjective
-
odd, queer, or comical.
-
questioning or puzzled.
a quizzical expression on her face.
-
derisively questioning, ridiculing, or chaffing.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- quizzicality noun
- quizzically adverb
- quizzicalness noun
- unquizzical adjective
- unquizzically adverb
Etymology
Origin of quizzical
Explanation
Quizzical usually means puzzled or questioning, though it can also mean confused, surprised, comical, or mocking. If someone's looking at you with a quizzical expression when you mention your summer, it might mean they don't know about your adventures at space camp. The word quiz tucked inside quizzical should help you remember the idea of questioning that this adjective often suggests. The word also comes in handy to describe being eccentric or odd, as well as skeptical or derisive. You raise a quizzical eyebrow every time you see me in my giant fur hat. Does that mean you don’t like it?
Vocabulary lists containing quizzical
The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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Emotions on Display
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 8
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And there might be some quizzical looks at some of the language in the emails - for instance "Fall" rather than "Autumn", which is more like American English than British.
From BBC • Dec. 24, 2025
But you should cut this quizzical bank teller some slack.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 21, 2025
MILAN—When Rich Ross and his husband decided to buy a home in Milan, they were met with quizzical looks from their friends in Los Angeles.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 4, 2025
As the track played, quizzical expressions came over a few jurors’ faces.
From New York Times • May 2, 2024
Her hair will be gently frosted, her smile quizzical.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
