quizzical

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   showing mild puzzlement or questioning, often with amusement

   He gave me a quizzical look when I asked for a ladder at midnight.

2. 2
   adj

   playfully mocking, teasing, or odd

   Her quizzical remark made the solemn audience smile.

From quiz + -ical. Quiz appeared in late eighteenth-century English with senses involving an odd person, teasing, or questioning; its deeper origin is uncertain. Quizzical retains both the questioning expression and the older playfully mocking tone.

Topics