carping

[ kahr-ping ]
/ ˈkɑr pɪŋ /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR carping ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

characterized by fussy or petulant faultfinding; querulous: carping criticism.

noun

petty faultfinding.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
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decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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Origin of carping

1275–1325; Middle English (noun); see carp1, -ing2, -ing1

OTHER WORDS FROM carping

carp·ing·ly, adverb

Words nearby carping

carpeting, carpetweed, carphenazine maleate, carphology, carpi, carping, carpinteria, carpo, carpo-, carpocarpal, carpogonium

Definition for carping (2 of 2)

carp1
[ kahrp ]
/ kɑrp /

verb (used without object)

to find fault or complain querulously or unreasonably; be niggling in criticizing; cavil: to carp at minor errors.

noun

a peevish complaint.

Origin of carp

1
1200–50; Middle English carpen to speak, prate < Old Norse karpa to brag, wrangle

OTHER WORDS FROM carp

carp·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to carping

nagging, niggling, disparaging, quibbling, grumbling, whining, grousing, griping, moaning, censorious, critical, fault-finding, grouchy, hypercritical, scathing, deprecatory, overcritical, nit-picking

Example sentences from the Web for carping

British Dictionary definitions for carping (1 of 3)

carping
/ (ˈkɑːpɪŋ) /

adjective

tending to make petty complaints; fault-finding

Derived forms of carping

carpingly, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for carping (2 of 3)

carp1
/ (kɑːp) /

verb

(intr often foll by at) to complain or find fault; nag pettily

Derived forms of carp

carper, noun

Word Origin for carp

C13: from Old Norse karpa to boast; related to Latin carpere to pluck

British Dictionary definitions for carping (3 of 3)

carp2
/ (kɑːp) /

noun plural carp or carps

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

Other words from carp

Related adjectives: cyprinid, cyprinoid

Word Origin for carp

C14: from Old French carpe, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German karpfo, Old Norse karfi
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012