Captious
adj ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 That captures; especially, (of an argument, words etc.) designed to capture or entrap in misleading arguments; sophistical. obsolete
"[…]I know I loue in vaine, ſtriue againſt hope : Yet in this captious, and intemible Siue I ſtill poure in the waters of my loue And lacke not to looſe ſtill[…]"
- 2 Having a disposition to find fault unreasonably or to raise petty objections; cavilling, nitpicky.
"...not an irritable word had escaped him; and as every captious conclusion and petulant observation had been in days past always attributed, very justly, by Isabella either to the dyspepsia, brought on by his grief for Margarita, or the fever he sustained from the climate,..."
- 1 tending to find and call attention to faults wordnet
Example
More examples"[…]I know I loue in vaine, ſtriue againſt hope : Yet in this captious, and intemible Siue I ſtill poure in the waters of my loue And lacke not to looſe ſtill[…]"
Etymology
From Middle English capcious, from Middle French captieux, or its source, Latin captiōsus, from captiō.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.