Captiousness

/ˈkæpʃəsnəs/ noun

Definition

The quality of being overly critical, fault-finding, or prone to making petty complaints; the tendency to find problems with things.

Etymology

From captious plus the noun-forming suffix -ness, which creates abstract nouns describing qualities or states.

Kelly Says

The trait of captiousness has probably ruined more relationships and workplace collaborations than most people realize—it's the difference between someone who helps you improve and someone who just makes you feel bad about yourself.

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