quizzical
/ˈkwɪzɪk(ə)l
/adjective
1(Of a person’s expression or behaviour) indicating mild or amused puzzlement: she gave me a quizzical look...
- He stood up and looked around curiously, a quizzical expression on his face.
- They have quizzical expressions, they're posed in awkward, falling-puppy positions.
- I recall the quizzical expressions of my classmates who wondered why an apparently healthy girl should suddenly report ill.
Synonyms
puzzled, perplexed, baffled, questioning, enquiring, mystified, curious, sceptical;
amused, sardonic, supercilious, mocking, teasing
1.1 rare Amusingly odd or strange: one of the most quizzical movies ever made
Derivatives
quizzicality
quizzically
/ adverb ...- She looks at me quizzically for a moment before realising who I am.
- You glide over vast hemispheres of brain coral and barrel sponges big enough to sit in; shoals of fish and crabs eye you quizzically.
- The old man at the centre of the crowd ran his fingers through his beard and looked at him quizzically.
quizzicalness
- The expressions on her face when Billy goes off into his dream worlds make up an amazing array - quizzicalness, blissfulness, defiance, sorrow.