- apt to make trivial criticisms; fault-finding; carping
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
cap•tious
(kap′shəs),USA pronunciation adj.
cap′tious•ly, adv.
cap′tious•ness, n.
- 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, esp. in argument:captious questions.
- Latin captiōsus sophistical, equivalent. to capti(ō) a taking, hence, sophism (see caption) + -ōsus -ous
- Middle English capcious 1350–1400
cap′tious•ness, n.
- 1. carping, nitpicking, niggling, picky, testy.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
captious /ˈkæpʃəs/ adj
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'captious' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
