captiousness

noun

as in irritableness

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for captiousness
  1. irritability
  2. fractiousness
  3. crankiness
  4. acidity
  5. petulance
  6. grouchiness
  7. testiness
Noun
  • Kooij says women with ADHD whose symptoms increase during this stage may describe losing control over mood, irritability, sleep and focus.
    — Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 7 July 2026
  • Giving your body a chance to relax with floor time can interrupt stress and give the body a chance to recharge, which could reduce feelings of irritability or distress.
    — Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of irritability
Noun
  • Household names such as Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner get their due, as well as others whose talent, determination, and, yes, fractiousness cement their place in the canon, including the otherworldly Grace Jones, the salsa queen Celia Cruz, and the triple threat Rita Moreno.
    — Emma Sarappo, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026
  • Although much of the country’s instability is rooted in its internal fractiousness and troubled transition from monarchy to republican democracy, many Nepalis believe India’s meddling has deepened their endemic political crisis.
    — MUHIB RAHMAN, Foreign Affairs, 12 Nov. 2025
Definition of fractiousness
Noun
  • How to handle it A lot of Virgo’s crankiness can be soothed with helping them get organized and practice self-compassion.
    — Maressa Brown, Parents, 18 June 2026
  • Bumping into someone wasn’t met with frustration, but with a grin and a comment about the Knicks, as if the entire city had agreed to give each other a pass from the stereotypical crankiness for one single night.
    — Antonio Ferme, Variety, 14 June 2026
Definition of crankiness
Noun
  • The soy sauce seasons the tofu to its core, while balsamic vinaigrette adds acidity, richness, and just enough sweetness.
    — Ali Francis, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 July 2026
  • Algieri says Chablis typically features high acidity, strong mineral character, and is un-oaked or lightly oaked, but many of her clients are more familiar with Chardonnay having a rounder, buttery style driven by vanilla from heavy oak aging.
    — Mike DeSimone, Robb Report, 26 July 2026
Definition of acidity
Noun
  • France’s challenges came from external provocation, first the petulance of the Paraguayan team, but then comments widely condemned as racist by a Paraguayan politician.
    — Adam Crafton, New York Times, 16 July 2026
  • Such petulance does not merit responsible high public office.
    — Letters to the Editor, Hartford Courant, 15 June 2026
Definition of petulance
Noun
  • Vince Gilligan moved to Apple and returned to his X-Files roots for the sci-fi horror dramatic comedy Pluribus, which used its ultra-mysterious and yet ultra-familiar genre trappings for a droll meditation on the eternal clash between collective joy and individual grouchiness.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
  • Emily is also struggling with Annabelle, who has inherited her mom’s attitude and the grouchiness of any adolescent forced to grow up with an Evolution Media camera crew in her home.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2025
Definition of grouchiness
Noun
  • The Warriors trailed by 11 points after a first quarter notable mostly for some late Golden State testiness.
    — Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Jan. 2026
  • Corbett said the testiness started in Florida and returned with the team to Charlotte.
    — Joseph Person, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Definition of testiness
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

captiously
captiousness
captivate
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Cite this Entry

“Captiousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captiousness. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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