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I'm looking for a word or phrase that describes someone answering a question by intentionally stating the obvious or taking the question too literally, thereby insulting the person who asked the question (by implying that they asked a stupid question).
For example:
Questioner (holding package): "Who is this package for?"
Respondent: "Whoever it's addressed to"
I would use facetious to describe the person answering.
The definition given by Merriam-Webster is joking or jesting, but in use facetious often has the undertone that the comment was inappropriate.
The words flippant or glib also work.
The most straightforward term for it would be evasion:
evasion noun [ C or U ]
the act of avoiding something or someone:
- Her speech was full of excuses and evasions and never properly addressed the issue.
However, a psychological term would be passive aggression:
passive-aggressive adjective
Of or denoting a type of behaviour or personality characterized by indirect resistance to the demands of others and an avoidance of direct confrontation.
