Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [kap-shuh s]
- /ˈkæp ʃəs/
- /ˈkæp.ʃəs/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
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- [kap-shuh s]
- /ˈkæp ʃəs/
Definitions of captious word
- adjective captious apt to make trivial criticisms; fault-finding; carping 3
- adjective captious made only for the sake of argument or faultfinding 3
- adjective captious fond of catching others in mistakes; quick to find fault; quibbling; carping 3
- adjective captious apt to notice and make much of trivial faults or defects; faultfinding; difficult to please. 1
- adjective captious proceeding from a faultfinding or caviling disposition: He could never praise without adding a captious remark. 1
- adjective captious apt or designed to ensnare or perplex, especially in argument: captious questions. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of captious
First appearance:
before 1350 One of the 20% oldest English words
1350-1400; Middle English capcious < Latin captiōsus sophistical, equivalent to capti(ō) a taking, hence, sophism (see caption) + -ōsus -ous
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Captious
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
captious popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 84% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.
captious usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for captious
adj captious
- acrimonious — Acrimonious words or quarrels are bitter and angry.
- cantankerous — Someone who is cantankerous is always finding things to argue or complain about.
- carping — tending to make petty complaints; fault-finding
- censorious — If you describe someone as censorious, you do not like the way they strongly disapprove of and criticize someone else's behaviour.
- contrary — Ideas, attitudes, or reactions that are contrary to each other are completely different from each other.
adjective captious
- critical — If a person is critical or in a critical condition in hospital, they are seriously ill.
- pedantic — ostentatious in one's learning.
- trivial — of very little importance or value; insignificant: Don't bother me with trivial matters.
- nitpicking — to be excessively concerned with or critical of inconsequential details.
- hairsplitting — the making of unnecessarily fine distinctions.
Antonyms for captious
adj captious
- commendatory — serving to commend; expressing praise or approval
- flattering — to try to please by complimentary remarks or attention.
- laudatory — containing or expressing praise: overwhelmed by the speaker's laudatory remarks.
- complimentary — If you are complimentary about something, you express admiration for it.
- praising — the act of expressing approval or admiration; commendation; laudation.
Top questions with captious
- what does captious mean?
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with c
- Words starting with ca
- Words starting with cap
- Words starting with capt
- Words starting with capti
- Words starting with captio
- Words starting with captiou
- Words starting with captious