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.
Captiously
(Cap"tious*ly), adv. In a captious manner.
Captiousness
(Cap"tious*ness), n. Captious disposition or manner.
Captivate
(Cap"ti*vate) v. t. [imp. & p. p. Captivated; p. pr. & vb. n. Captivating.] [L. captivatus, p.
p. of captivare to capture, fr. captivus captive. See Captive.]
1. To take prisoner; to capture; to subdue. [Obs.]
Their woes whom fortune captivates.
Shak.
2. To acquire ascendancy over by reason of some art or attraction; to fascinate; to charm; as, Cleopatra
captivated Antony; the orator captivated all hearts.
Small landscapes of captivating loveliness.
W. Irving.
Syn. — To enslave; subdue; overpower; charm; enchant; bewitch; facinate; capture; lead captive.
Captivate
(Cap"ti*vate) p. a. [L. captivatus.] Taken prisoner; made captive; insnared; charmed.
Women have been captivate ere now.
Shak.
Captivating
(Cap"ti*va`ting) a. Having power to captivate or charm; fascinating; as, captivating smiles.
— Cap"ti*va`ting*ly, adv.
Captivation
(Cap"ti*va`tion) n. [L. capticatio.] The act of captivating. [R.]
The captivation of our understanding.
Bp. Hall.
Captive
(Cap"tive) n. [L. captivus, fr. capere to take: cf. F. captif. See Caitiff.]
1. A prisoner taken by force or stratagem, esp., by an enemy, in war; one kept in bondage or in the power
of another.
Then, when I am thy captive, talk of chains.
Milton.
2. One charmed or subdued by beaty, excellence, or affection; one who is captivated.
Captive
(Cap"tive), a.
1. Made prisoner, especially in war; held in bondage or in confinement.
A poor, miserable, captive thrall.
Milton.
2. Subdued by love; charmed; captivated.
Even in so short a space, my wonan's heart
Grossly grew captive to his honey words.
Shak.
3. Of or pertaining to bondage or confinement; serving to confine; as, captive chains; captive hours.