Captious: meaning, definitions and examples

Used to describe someone who raises petty objections or is difficult to please. Often used in a negative connotation.

• He was a captious critic, always finding minor flaws in the performance.
• Her captious comments made it hard for the team to stay motivated.

Used to describe a person who evaluates or judges something, often indicating an essential examination or disapproving analysis.

• The teacher was critical of the student's essay, pointing out both strengths and weaknesses.
• Critical reviews of the movie helped me decide not to watch it.

Used to describe someone who is always looking for and pointing out faults, usually in a petty or annoying way. This has a negative connotation.

• His constant fault-finding made him unpopular among his coworkers.
• The manager’s fault-finding attitude created a tense work environment.

Used to describe someone who is excessively or unreasonably critical of others. Often indicates an unrealistic standard or harsh judgment.

• She has a hypercritical nature, never being satisfied with anyone else’s work.
• His hypercritical comments about the project were more destructive than helpful.

Used to describe someone who often finds faults or raises objections, usually in a petty way.

• The captious critic could never give a positive review, no matter how excellent the performance

Often used to describe something that is difficult, complex, or deceptive. It can also be used to describe a person who is cunning and deceitful.

• Solving this puzzle is quite tricky
• / Be careful around him; he's a tricky character

Typically used when someone is making petty or unnecessary objections, often over trivial matters.

• She kept caviling about the smallest details in the contract, causing delays in finalizing it

Similar to 'caviling,' this word is used to describe someone who habitually raises trivial and frivolous objections.

• His cavillous remarks during the meeting only annoyed his colleagues