\Cap"tious\, a. [F. captieux, L. captiosus. See
{Caption}.]
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.
         Captious restraints on navigation.    --Bancroft.
Syn: Caviling, carping, fault-finding; censorious;
     hypercritical; peevish, fretful; perverse; troublesome.
Usage: {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.