Definitions for: Captious


[adj] tending to find and call attention to faults; "a captious pedant"; "an excessively demanding and faultfinding tutor"



Webster (1913) Definition: Cap"tious, a. [F. captieux, L. captiosus. See
Caption.]
1. Apt to catch at faults; disposed to find fault or to
cavil; eager to object; difficult to please.

A captious and suspicious age. --Stillingfleet.

I am sensible I have not disposed my materials to
abide the test of a captious controversy. --Bwike.

2. Fitted to harass, perplex, or insnare; insidious;
troublesome.

Captious restraints on navigation. --Bancroft.

Syn: Caviling, carping, fault-finding; censorious;
hypercritical; peevish, fretful; perverse; troublesome.

Usage: Captious, caviling, Carping. A captious person
is one who has a fault-finding habit or manner, or is
disposed to catch at faults, errors, etc., with
quarrelsome intent; a caviling person is disposed to
raise objections on frivolous grounds; carping implies
that one is given to ill-natured, persistent, or
unreasonable fault-finding, or picking up of the words
or actions of others.

Caviling is the carping of argument, carping the
caviling of ill temper. --C. J. Smith.

Synonyms: critical, faultfinding

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