Dictionary

hypercritical

adjective hy·per·crit·i·cal \-ˈkri-ti-kəl\

: criticizing other people or things too strongly or too often

Full Definition of HYPERCRITICAL

:  meticulously or excessively critical
hy·per·crit·i·cal·ly \-k(ə-)lē\ adverb
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First Known Use of HYPERCRITICAL

1605

Synonym Discussion of HYPERCRITICAL

critical, hypercritical, faultfinding, captious, carping, censorious mean inclined to look for and point out faults and defects. critical may also imply an effort to see a thing clearly and truly in order to judge it fairly <a critical essay>. hypercritical suggests a tendency to judge by unreasonably strict standards <hypercritical disparagement of other people's work>. faultfinding implies a querulous or exacting temperament <a faultfinding reviewer>. captious suggests a readiness to detect trivial faults or raise objections on trivial grounds <a captious critic>. carping implies an ill-natured or perverse picking of flaws <a carping editorial>. censorious implies a disposition to be severely critical and condemnatory <the censorious tone of the review>.

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