ultracrepidarian

[uhl-truh-krep-i-dair-ee-uhn]

adjective

1. noting or pertaining to a person who criticizes, judges, or gives advice outside their area of expertise.

   The play provides a classic, simplistic portrayal of an ultracrepidarian boss.

noun

1. a person who criticizes, judges, or gives advice outside their area of expertise.

Other Word Forms

• ultracrepidarianism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ultracrepidarian¹

First recorded in 1800–20; from Latin ultrā crepidam (also suprā crepidam ) “above the sole, beyond the sole,” from adverb and preposition ultrā ( ultra- ) + Latin crepidam (accusative singular of crepida ) “sole of a shoe, shoe, sandal” (re-formed from Greek krēpîd-, stem of krēpís “man's high boot, half boot, shoe”) + -arian ( def. ); in allusion to Pliny the Elder's adaptation of the retort that the Greek painter Apelles (360?–315? b.c.) made to a cobbler who was critiquing Apelles' work, nē suprā crepidam sūtor jūdicāre “let the cobbler not judge above the sandal”; cf. the English proverb “let the cobbler stick to his last”

Example Sentences

And in response, I toss the phrase ultracrepidarian at them because they don't know what they're talking about.

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The last thing I want to do while relaxing in the evening is to listen to some ultracrepidarian spout his meaningless nonsense — yelling at guests and rudely interrupting experts in their field.

Read more on Washington Times

When To Use

What does ultracrepidarian mean?

An ultracrepidarian is a person who offers opinions beyond their own knowledge. It can also be used as an adjective describing such a person.This word is used in situations when someone is speaking as an authority on a subject that they have only limited knowledge of. The term is quite obscure, so most people who use it as an insult probably intend it to be at least a little humorous.Example: Lisa wrote her thesis on Hamlet, but Jason has only seen the movie, so he came off as an ultracrepidarian when he explained the plot to her.