Captious

Adjective

Definition: Tending to find fault or raise petty objections.

Synonyms: Critical, Fault-finding, Nit-picking

Antonyms: Easygoing, Accepting, Lenient

Examples:
  • He was known for his captious nature, always finding something to complain about.
  • Her captious comments during the meeting disrupted the flow of the discussion.
Mnemonics:
  • Think of the word "captious" as a combination of "capturing" and "issues" - someone who captures every small issue and raises objections.

Etymology:

Origin:

Late Middle English from Latin 'captiosus', from 'captio' (seizure), from 'capere' (to take).

Historical Usage:

The word "captious" has been used since the late Middle English period, retaining its primary meaning of finding fault or taking a critical stance. There have been no significant changes in its usage throughout history.

Related Idioms:

Idiom:

"Captious criticism"

Explanation:

Refers to overly critical or fault-finding feedback, often seen as nit-picking or focused on minor details.

Misconceptions:

Misconception:

Confusing "captious" with "capacious" due to their similar spellings.

Explanation:

"Captious" is about finding faults and raising objections, while "capacious" means having a lot of space or room. They have different meanings and should not be used interchangeably.

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