22
carping(adjective, mean, praise, severe, nasty)
19
critical(adjective, praise, difficult, irritable, critical)
16
peevish(adjective, mean, severe, difficult, delicate)
14
cross(noun, adjective, mean, severe, difficult)
14
petulant(adjective, difficult, cross, sensitive, irritable)
12
irritable(adjective, difficult, cross, sensitive, critical)
12
testy(noun, adjective, mean, severe, difficult)
12
cantankerous(adjective, mean, severe, difficult, delicate)
12
censorious(adjective, praise, severe, harsh, cross)
12
hypercritical(adjective, praise, severe, harsh, critical)
12
querulous(adjective, mean, hard, difficult, delicate)
12
sarcastic(adjective, mean, sharp, nasty, speech)
10
caviling(adjective, mean, smooth, severe, false)
10
faultfinding(verb, adjective, mean, praise, severe)
10
touchy(adjective, mean, severe, short, sensitive)
9
fault-finding(adjective, mean, severe, difficult, cross)
9
finicky(adjective, severe, harsh, critical, meticulous)
9
hypocritical(adjective, deceitful, nit-picking, pharisaical, pharisaic)
8
bad-tempered(adjective, mean, difficult, delicate, cross)
8
crabby(adjective, mean, severe, difficult, irritable)
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APASmart Define. (2015). Captious thesaurus. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from https://smartdefine.org/captious/thesaurus/synonyms
ChicagoSmart Define. 2015. "Captious thesaurus" https://smartdefine.org/captious/thesaurus/synonyms (accessed September 20, 2026).
HarvardSmart Define 2015, Captious thesaurus, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <https://smartdefine.org/captious/thesaurus/synonyms>.
MLASmart Define. "Captious thesaurus" 13 April 2015. Web. 20 September 2026. <https://smartdefine.org/captious/thesaurus/synonyms>