captiousness

• “I've not "accused" you of captiousness, I've merely noticed that when it comes to Pope Benedict and the post-Vatican II magisterium of Holy Mother Church, you ARE captious.”

  The truth of Europe's roots

• “Rather, you've accused me of captiousness and questioned by manners.”

  The truth of Europe's roots

• “Besides, captiousness, sullenness, and pouting are most exceedingly illiberal and vulgar.”

  Letters to his son on The Art of Becoming a Man of the World and a Gentleman

• “This looks like mere captiousness but it covers a perfectly genuine grievance.”

  The Road to Wigan Pier

• “I was struck by the sudden transition from the touching sensibility with which she had just been speaking to me to this petty reckoning and captiousness.”

  Childhood

• ““Yes — and I suppose you want to know why,” she replied with dry captiousness.”

  The Gambler

• “I suppose the confused and abrupt expression of things here, in words scarcely affording a tolerable sense, is rather from weakness than captiousness; and so I shall let the manner of the proposal pass.”

  A Brief Declaration and Vindication of The Doctrine of the Trinity

• “All this exactness of requisition appeared to me to be going rather too far; and I exhibited my feeling on the subject, in the tone in which I replied, that I had stated every thing that was necessary for the satisfaction of a "man of sense, but that I had neither the faculty nor the inclination to indulge the captiousness of any man.”

  Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine — Volume 54, No. 333, July 1843

• “-- While captiousness of manner, and the habit of disputing and contradicting every thing said, is chilling and repulsive, the opposite habit of assenting to, and sympathizing with, every statement made, or emotion expressed, is almost equally disagreeable.”

  Searchlights on Health: Light on Dark Corners A Complete Sexual Science and a Guide to Purity and Physical Manhood, Advice To Maiden, Wife, And Mother, Love, Courtship, And Marriage

• “And withal there was such an unaffected modesty and simplicity about the boy, so complete an absence of anything like a desire to show off his talents, as sufficed to disarm any tendency towards captiousness on the part of his hearers.”

  Story-Lives of Great Musicians

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