carping
- characterized by fussy or petulant faultfinding; querulous: carping criticism.
- petty faultfinding.
Origin of carping
carp1
- to find fault or complain querulously or unreasonably; be niggling in criticizing; cavil: to carp at minor errors.
- a peevish complaint.
Origin of carp1
Synonyms
See more synonyms for carp on Thesaurus.comExamples from the Web for carping
Contemporary Examples
“All he gets from Congress is negativism and carping,” says Dallek.
He was no carping presence, talking about how things were done in his day.
Three months ago, what was on display was the well-developed British talent for carping, sneering, and nitpicking.
Facebook's answer to its critics is: pay no attention to the carping.
Setting the Scots on a higher moral plane than the rest of us carping cynics.
Historical Examples
The most carping could have found no flaw in the quiet taste of his attire.
The Black BagLouis Joseph Vance
Any temporary relief from the carping tyranny of Brown was welcome.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, CompleteAlbert Bigelow Paine
Though I am writing so carping a note, I admire the article thoroughly.
More Letters of Charles Darwin Volume IICharles Darwin
However, the most carping critic could have found no fault with Edith's manner.
Master of the VineyardMyrtle Reed
You can hear the carping critic at any time that you may wish!
Famous Privateersmen and Adventurers of the SeaCharles H. L. Johnston
carping
- tending to make petty complaints; fault-finding
carp1
- (intr often foll by at) to complain or find fault; nag pettily
Word Origin
carp2
- a freshwater teleost food fish, Cyprinus carpio, having a body covered with cycloid scales, a naked head, one long dorsal fin, and two barbels on each side of the mouth: family Cyprinidae
- any other fish of the family Cyprinidae; a cyprinid
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for carping
carp
n.
type of freshwater fish, late 14c., from Old French carpe "carp" (13c.) and directly from Vulgar Latin carpa (source also of Italian carpa, Spanish carpa), from a Germanic source (cf. Middle Dutch carpe, Dutch karper, Old High German karpfo, German Karpfen "carp"); possibly the immediate source is Gothic *karpa. A Danube fish (hence the proposed East Germanic origin of its name), introduced in English ponds 14c. Lithuanian karpis, Russian karp are Germanic loan words.
carp
v.
"complain," early 13c., originally "to talk," from Old Norse karpa "to brag," of unknown origin; meaning turned toward "find fault with" (late 14c.), probably by influence of Latin carpere "to slander, revile," literally "to pluck" (see harvest (n.)). Related: Carped; carping.