* Correct pairs matched by color, not alignment
smarmy - Hypocritically, complacently, or effusively earnest.
Usage: His smarmy speech left no doubt that he actually felt superior to those he was meant to be praising.
vitriolic - Bitterly scathing; caustic.
Usage: His vitriolic speech attacking his opponent hurt his popularity with voters.
eristic - A person who disputes; who is good at or enjoys controversy.
Usage: He was a philosopher of the eristic sort, whose greatest pleasure was in tearing down the arguments of others.
lachrymose - Weeping or inclined to weep; causing or tending to cause tears.
Usage: He was by turns devout and obscene, merry and lachrymose.
captious - Marked by a disposition to find and point out trivial faults.
Synonyms: faultfinding, critical
Usage: She found the new professor to be captious, marking all the grammatical errors in her essays while ignoring the points she had tried to make.
