hypercritical
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word 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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Clean Getaway
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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.
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
She is hyper-analytical — and sometimes hypercritical — of her skiing.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 8, 2023
Season 2 also follows several returning cast members, including hypercritical attorney Aparna Shewakramani and bubbly event planner Nadia Jagessar, as they continue their quest for love.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2022
"I don't mean to be hypercritical of the on-scene commander," McCraw said.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 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.
