Meaning & use

Hypercritical

adjective·Everyday

Last updated

Excessively critical or quick to find fault, beyond what is fair or reasonable.

See it in a sentence

His hypercritical boss found something wrong with every report, no matter how carefully written.

Try not to be hypercritical of your first draft; you can revise it later.

A note on using this word

Not to be confused with 'hypocritical' (pretending to have virtues one lacks) — hypercritical is about excessive criticism, a common mix-up between similar-sounding words.

Words with a similar meaning

fault-findingovercritical

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

lenientuncritical

Make it your own

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