CAPTIOUS Synonyms: 33 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

captious

adjective

ˈkap-shəs

Definition of captious next

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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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

Examples 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

Adjective

Even still, despite being a critical success, with only a limited release, the film was a relative dud at the box office.

— Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 19 Jan. 2025
Trump has often been critical of Chicago, which has some of the country’s strongest protections for people in the country without legal status.

— Todd Richmond and Elliot Spagat, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2025