Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Captious
1.
Apt to catch at faults; disposed to find fault or to cavil; eager to object; difficult to please.
A
captious
and suspicious age. Stillingfleet.
I am sensible I have not disposed my materials to abide the test of a
captious
controversy. Bwike.
2.
Fitted to harass, perplex, or insnare; insidious; troublesome.
Syn. – Caviling, carping, fault-finding; censorious; hypercritical; peevish, fretful; perverse; troublesome.
–
Captious
, caviling
, Carping
. A captious person is one who has a fault-finding habit or manner, or is disposed to catch at faults, errors, etc., with quarrelsome intent; a caviling person is disposed to raise objections on frivolous grounds; carping implies that one is given to ill-natured, persistent, or unreasonable fault-finding, or picking up of the words or actions of others. Caviling
is the carping
of argument, carping
the caviling
of ill temper. C. J. Smith.
Webster 1828 Edition
Captious
CAPTIOUS
,Adj.
1.
Disposed to find fault, or raise objections; apt to cavil, as in popular language, it is said, apt to catch at; as a captious man.2.
Fitted to catch or ensnare; insidious; as a captious question.3.
Proceeding from a caviling disposition; as a captious objection or criticism.