quizzical

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quizzical

/ˈkwɪzɪkl̩/ UK
/ˈkwɪzək(ə)l/ US

Rhymes with -ɪzɪkəl

Where it comes from

From quiz (“item of banter or mockery; person who banters or mocks; set of questions used to test knowledge; (dated) odd, puzzling or absurd person or thing”, noun) + -ical (suffix meaning ‘of or relating to’ forming adjectives).

adjective more quizzical · most quizzical

Chiefly of a person's expression: suggesting (slight) confusion or puzzlement, especially in an amused manner; curious, questioning. Wolf Larsen pursed his lips in a long, quizzical whistle.
Similar: enquiring, inquiring, quizzic
Characterized by bantering or joking; humorous, playful. We might indeed in Christian charity believe the writers of this performance to be deep dealers in irony, to be men of that quizzical disposition of which the very solemnity is suspicious.
Similar: jocose
Scornfully mocking; sardonic, sneering. During the last twenty years, Mr. Weeks at the Bush tavern, in the city, has annually, at Christmas, provided a larder furnished more abundantly and with greater variety, than perhaps any other tavern in ths kingdom could have shewn; but this year, owing to the great pressure of the times, we unders
Similar: quizzacious, satirical
archaic Eccentric, odd, strange. And if thou, gentle Freſhman, haſt any ſeeds of this truly venerable character ſpringing up in thy boſom, I cannot give thee a ſtronger criterion of it than thy indignation excited at my d[amne]d quizzical obſervations, and thy ſincere and hearty vviſhes that thou hadſt the horſe-vvhipping of the Au
Similar: quizzish, quizzy

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MLA

"quizzical." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/quizzical. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

quizzical. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/quizzical

Chicago

"quizzical." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/quizzical.

BibTeX

@misc{quizzical_2026,
  title = {quizzical},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/quizzical},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}