captious

adjective

ˈkap-shəs How to pronounce captious (audio)
Definition of captiousnext
as in critical
given to making or expressing unfavorable judgments about things a captious and cranky eater who's never met a vegetable he didn't hate

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective captious contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of captious are carping, censorious, critical, faultfinding, and hypercritical. While all these words mean "inclined to look for and point out faults and defects," captious suggests a readiness to detect trivial faults or raise objections on trivial grounds.

a captious critic

When is carping a more appropriate choice than captious?

The meanings of carping and captious largely overlap; however, carping implies an ill-natured or perverse picking of flaws.

a carping editorial

When could censorious be used to replace captious?

The words censorious and captious are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, censorious implies a disposition to be severely critical and condemnatory.

the censorious tone of the review

In what contexts can critical take the place of captious?

In some situations, the words critical and captious are roughly equivalent. However, critical may also imply an effort to see a thing clearly and truly in order to judge it fairly.

a critical essay

When is it sensible to use faultfinding instead of captious?

While the synonyms faultfinding and captious are close in meaning, faultfinding implies a querulous or exacting temperament.

a faultfinding reviewer

When can hypercritical be used instead of captious?

Although the words hypercritical and captious have much in common, hypercritical suggests a tendency to judge by unreasonably strict standards.

hypercritical disparagement of other people's work

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of captious So much of the new sobriety flex is anathema to the captious alcoholics of 12-step groups. — Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 19 Apr. 2022 That a right-wing party traditionally captious about American patriotism did not react heatedly to evidence of Russian interference in US elections is bizarre. — Darryl Pinckney, The New York Review of Books, 5 Nov. 2020 Berryman was a captious and self-heating complainer, slow to cool. — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captious
  1. critical
  2. hypercritical
  3. judgmental
Adjective
  • The critical consensus on the Croisette was similarly effusive.
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Restrictions on energy, electricity or critical minerals, something Ford also floated, could instead raise costs for American companies and consumers by making key inputs more expensive or harder to obtain.
    — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of critical
Adjective
  • Wide receiver Mike Evans An 11-time, 1,000-yard receiver needs no token compliments or hypercritical analysis.
    — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 29 July 2026
  • Drowning in bureaucracy and hypercritical of her colleagues, Santos (Isa Briones) could burn out from frustration and resentment.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 17 Apr. 2026
Definition of hypercritical
Adjective
  • That reversal runs counter to the usual assumption that younger generations are more relaxed, more collaborative, and less judgmental about money than their parents were.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Think of the lifestyle the boys—nobody’s judgmental here in America.
    — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of judgmental

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Captious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captious. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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