captious

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Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈkæpʃəs/

Adjective

captious

1. (obsolete) That captures; especially, (of an argument, words etc.) designed to capture or entrap in misleading arguments; sophistical.

   Synonyms: tricky, thorny, sophistical

2. Having a disposition to find fault unreasonably or to raise petty objections; cavilling, nitpicky.
   • 1968, Sidney Monas, translating Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment (1866):

     But Peter Petrovich did not accept this retort. On the contrary, he became all the more captious and irritable, as though he were just hitting his stride.

   • 2009, Anne Karpf, The Guardian, 24 Jan 2009:

     The "Our Bold" column, nitpicking at errors in other periodicals, can look merely captious, and its critics often seem to be wildly and collectively wrong-headed.

   Synonyms: carping, critical, faultfinding, hypercritical, nitpicky

Translations

• French: piège
• Italian: capzioso, tortuoso., ambiguo, ingannevole, insidioso, arzigogolato
• Portuguese: capcioso, ardiloso, astucioso
• Russian: каверзный
• Spanish: capcioso

Translations

• French: pinailleur
• German: krittelig
• Italian: capzioso, sofistico, cavilloso
• Portuguese: implicante
• Russian: придирчивый
• Spanish: criticón, pejiguero

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