CAPTIOUSLY

captiously

(adverb) in a captious, carping manner; “he was captiously pedantic”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Adverb

captiously (comparative more captiously, superlative most captiously)

In a captious manner.

Source: Wiktionary

Cap"tious*ly, adv.

Definition: In a captious manner.

CAPTIOUS

Cap"tious, a. Etym: [F. captieux, L. captiosus. See Caption.]

1. Art to catch at faults; disposed to find fault or to cavil; eager to object; difficult to please. A captius and suspicious. Stillingfleet. I am sensible I have not disposed my materials to adbide 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.

– 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.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition