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hypercritical

adjective
hy·​per·​crit·​i·​cal | \ ˌhī-pər-ˈkri-ti-kəl How to pronounce hypercritical (audio) \

Definition of hypercritical

: meticulously or excessively critical
Other Words from hypercritical Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym Example Sentences Learn More about hypercritical

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Other Words from hypercritical

hypercritically \ ˌhī-​pər-​ˈkri-​ti-​k(ə-​)lē How to pronounce hypercritically (audio) \ adverb

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of hypercritical in a Sentence

if you go by what that hypercritical reviewer says, you are going to end up seeing very few movies

Recent Examples on the Web

 But trying to be a complex woman in the hypercritical world of Hollywood can be difficult. — Gavin Harwin, Teen Vogue, "Debby Ryan on "Insatiable," Mental Health, and the Pressure of Hollywood," 18 Aug. 2018 Sean Spicer flamed out as the White House press secretary in record time with a series of attacks on the media that failed to satisfy his hypercritical boss. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, "Rudy Giuliani Is Managing His Client via Fox News," 21 May 2018 Karen is hypercritical of the school’s teachers, the curriculum, the kids and the other parents, either because they’re absent or overly involved. — Mary Kay Zuravleff, The Denver Post, "“Class” book review: A satire on liberal values, public schools," 13 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hypercritical.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of hypercritical

1605, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for hypercritical

hypercritical

adjective
How to pronounce hypercritical (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of hypercritical

: criticizing other people or things too strongly or too often

See the full definition for hypercritical in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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More from Merriam-Webster on hypercritical

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with hypercritical

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hypercritical

Spanish Central: Translation of hypercritical

Nglish: Translation of hypercritical for Spanish Speakers

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