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1 Definition
Marked by a tendency to find fault or raise trivial objections, often just for the sake of arguing.
2 In Use
The editor's captious remarks focused on comma placement while ignoring the essay's compelling argument entirely.
3 Word Origin
capere Lat. · to seize or catch → captiosus Lat. · deceptive, quick to find fault → captious Middle English
Captious traces back to the Latin verb capere, meaning to seize or catch, the same root that gives English words like capture and capable. From there it grew into captiosus, a term used in Roman legal and rhetorical contexts to describe arguments designed to trap or trip up an opponent rather than seek truth. That sense of a clever, ensnaring criticism carried into Middle English, where captious came to describe people, not just arguments, who seemed to catch faults wherever they could find them, real or invented.
💡Fun Fact
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