hypercritical
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of hypercritical
Explanation
Hypercritical describes someone who is full of complaints. That friend you love but avoid going to restaurant with because she thinks the burger is slightly cold, the fork's not shiny enough, the bread too bready? Definitely hypercritical. Make sure you don't mistake hypercritical for hypocritical. If you've ever felt hyper, you know it means "too much energy." So someone who is hypercritical puts too much energy into criticizing and judging. But if you're hypocritical, it means you don't live by the high standards you claim you have. Unfortunately, that means it's possible for a person to be both hypercritical and hypocritical.
Vocabulary lists containing hypercritical
Dear Martin
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Lincoln Inaugural Address (March 1861)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I had a great group of people who were really hypercritical of it when the accent fell off, which wasn’t often because I worked hard.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 15, 2025
Every run that Australia managed to eke out for their final wicket would have gnawed away at Bavuma who was, if we are being hypercritical, guilty of a slight captaincy misstep.
From BBC • Jun. 13, 2025
Just understand, your words are no match for my evidence,” he said in his February speech in Iowa, referencing some of the more hypercritical social media backlash he received after the 2021 address.
From Washington Post • Apr. 12, 2023
Kind of the most hypercritical audience you will ever play to in your whole career.
From Salon • Jul. 9, 2022
And both sides of the river were, ultimately, hypercritical.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
