quizzical
adjective
quiz·zi·cal
ˈkwi-zi-kəl 
1
: comically quaint
a quizzical old man
2
: mildly teasing or mocking
a quizzical remark
3
: expressive of puzzlement, curiosity, or disbelief
raised a quizzical eyebrow
Synonyms
Examples of quizzical in a Sentence
He gave me a quizzical look.
There was a quizzical expression on his face.
She raised a quizzical eyebrow when she saw what he was wearing.
Recent Examples on the Web
Game 1 peaked with 17.8 million viewers at around the same time Yankees manager Aaron Boone made the quizzical decision to send in long-dormant starter Nestor Cortes to face Shohei Ohtani with one out in the bottom of the 10th.
—
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 26 Oct. 2024
With his guitar held high and against his chest, his eyebrows cocked in that way that could be quizzical or menacing depending upon the setting, Matthews unleashed his quirky vocals.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 20 Oct. 2024
There’s still a whisper of formalist Austrian chill in its quizzical, hands-off perspective and immaculately composed mise-en-scène: Albin Wildner’s lensing is crisp and bright and still, a restrained canvas for stark sight gags.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 1 Sep. 2024
Two weeks ago, Zaidi, made two downright outlandish claims after a quizzical series of moves.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for quizzical 
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.
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 26 Oct. 2024
With his guitar held high and against his chest, his eyebrows cocked in that way that could be quizzical or menacing depending upon the setting, Matthews unleashed his quirky vocals.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 20 Oct. 2024
There’s still a whisper of formalist Austrian chill in its quizzical, hands-off perspective and immaculately composed mise-en-scène: Albin Wildner’s lensing is crisp and bright and still, a restrained canvas for stark sight gags.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 1 Sep. 2024
Two weeks ago, Zaidi, made two downright outlandish claims after a quizzical series of moves.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for quizzical
Articles Related to quizzical
Dictionary Entries Near quizzical
Cite this Entry
“Quizzical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quizzical. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
quizzical
adjective
quiz·zi·cal
ˈkwiz-i-kəl
1
: teasing in a good-natured way
2
a
: showing doubt in a good-natured way
b
: showing puzzlement or curiosity
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share