captious [adjective]
Definition of captious:
- Finding fault with trivial matters; excessively critical or argumentative.
- Intended to entrap or deceive by subtle flaws or ambiguities.
Sentence/Example of captious:
The captious reviewer pointed out minor typos and ignored the overall quality of the writing.
The professor grew weary of the students' captious questions that focused on unimportant details.
He was a captious customer, always returning items for even the slightest imperfection.
Her captious comments created a tense atmosphere during the meeting.
The lawyer's captious questions were a tactic to confuse the witness.
We need someone with a more open mind, not a captious person who will argue every point.
Despite their captious nature, they eventually reached a compromise.
The instructions were clear, but the captious student kept asking for clarification on irrelevant points.
Avoid being captious when giving feedback; focus on constructive criticism.
The politician's speech was riddled with captious language, designed to mislead rather than inform.
The captious reviewer nitpicked every minor detail of the film, ignoring its overall merit.
The professor's captious questions made it difficult for students to participate in the discussion.
He was known for his captious nature, always finding something to complain about, even in the most pleasant situations.
We couldn't reach an agreement because of his captious objections to every proposal.
The lawyer's captious arguments only served to delay the trial.
Her captious instructions made it impossible to complete the task correctly.
He was tired of dealing with the captious customer who always found something wrong with their order.
Despite the captious comments, she remained confident in her work.
Avoid making captious remarks that could offend others.
A good leader should be able to handle captious complaints without getting defensive.
The captious customer complained about every little detail of the meal.
The professor was known for his captious questions, designed to trip up students.
The article took a captious approach, focusing on minor flaws rather than the overall message.
Her captious nature made it difficult for anyone to please her.
We need to avoid getting bogged down in captious arguments about unimportant details.
The lawyer used captious language to confuse the witness.
The captious reviewer found fault with even the most minor stylistic choices.
Don't be so captious; just enjoy the movie!
In a healthy debate, ideas are challenged, but not in a captious way.
Despite some captious reviews, the play was a critical success.