captiously

adverb

Definition of captiouslynext
as in critically

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for captiously
  1. critically
  2. negatively
  3. unfavorably
  4. cynically
  5. disparagingly
  6. disapprovingly
  7. warily
  8. guardedly
Adverb
  • Minnehaha County Deputy Katherine Frank was critically wounded Friday night when gunfire erupted about 30 minutes after deputies arrived at the home, the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office said.
    — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Better decision-making doesn’t always require sweeping changes to workflows or new layers of oversight; small, consistent habits can help engineers stay focused, think critically and navigate competing demands without sacrificing productivity.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of critically
Adverb
  • According to earlier studies, babies who respond more negatively to these tasks have higher levels of depression and anxiety in adolescence.
    — Catherine Demers, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Cezar Gheorghe, founder of grain consultancy firm Agricolumn, told the AP that the drone incidents have not negatively impacted trade at Romania’s Black Sea port of Constanta.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of negatively
Adverb
  • Households earning $50,000 to $100,000 are split evenly on socialism, and 69% view big business unfavorably, more than any other income group.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The mayor was viewed favorably by 51% of Latinos and unfavorably by 30% in a September survey by the Latino Community Foundation.
    — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of unfavorably
Adverb
  • Some fans viewed the collaboration cynically, criticizing it as a way for Beyoncé to capitalize on Selena’s legacy, or to court more Latino fans.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • That’s either an amazing coincidence of errors or the studies were cynically designed to contrive flaws in RCV.
    — Paul Haughey, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of cynically
Adverb
  • Some speak disparagingly about Murray’s introverted nature, and others prefer not to ding him.
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 28 July 2026
  • The craze has even spawned knockoffs, disparagingly known as Lafufu.
    — Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 24 Mar. 2026
Definition of disparagingly
Adverb
  • The same goes for her father when there’s no sign of pregnancy and the judgy women at church start clucking disapprovingly.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 15 Feb. 2026
  • Rosenbury notes disapprovingly that there was a petition to rescind Kirk’s invitation.
    — Louis Menand, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
Definition of disapprovingly
Adverb
  • He's been viewed warily by some Jewish voters, which he's tried to address by apologizing for some past controversial comments.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Ever since the outbreak of war with Iran earlier this year, motorists have been warily eyeing prices at the pump.
    — Kevin Williams, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of warily
Adverb
  • For now, local producers are guardedly optimistic that such political goodwill will last, while their foreign counterparts will look for reassurances that the rebate is back on solid footing.
    — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The tall, garrulous 72-year-old county commissioner is guardedly patriotic.
    — Susan Bence, NPR, 4 July 2026
Definition of guardedly
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Captiously.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captiously. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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