HYPERCRITICAL Synonyms: 33 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'hypercritical' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of hypercritical are captious , carping , censorious , critical , and faultfinding . While all these words mean "inclined to look for and point out faults and defects," hypercritical suggests a tendency to judge by unreasonably strict standards. // hypercritical disparagement of other people's work

Q: Where would 'captious' be a reasonable alternative to 'hypercritical'?

The meanings of captious and hypercritical largely overlap; however, captious suggests a readiness to detect trivial faults or raise objections on trivial grounds. // a captious critic

Q: When would 'carping' be a good substitute for 'hypercritical'?

Although the words carping and hypercritical have much in common, carping implies an ill-natured or perverse picking of flaws. // a carping editorial

Q: When can 'censorious' be used instead of 'hypercritical'?

The words censorious and hypercritical can be used in similar contexts, but censorious implies a disposition to be severely critical and condemnatory. // the censorious tone of the review

Q: When could 'critical' be used to replace 'hypercritical'?

While in some cases nearly identical to hypercritical , critical may also imply an effort to see a thing clearly and truly in order to judge it fairly. // a critical essay

Q: When is it sensible to use 'faultfinding' instead of 'hypercritical'?

In some situations, the words faultfinding and hypercritical are roughly equivalent. However, faultfinding implies a querulous or exacting temperament. // a faultfinding reviewer

hypercritical

adjective

ˌhī-pər-ˈkri-ti-kəl

Definition of hypercritical next

as in critical

given to making or expressing unfavorable judgments about things if you go by what that hypercritical reviewer says, you are going to end up seeing very few movies

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How does the adjective hypercritical contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of hypercritical are captious, carping, censorious, critical, and faultfinding. While all these words mean "inclined to look for and point out faults and defects," hypercritical suggests a tendency to judge by unreasonably strict standards.

hypercritical disparagement of other people's work

Where would captious be a reasonable alternative to hypercritical?

The meanings of captious and hypercritical largely overlap; however, captious suggests a readiness to detect trivial faults or raise objections on trivial grounds.

a captious critic

When would carping be a good substitute for hypercritical?

Although the words carping and hypercritical have much in common, carping implies an ill-natured or perverse picking of flaws.

a carping editorial

When can censorious be used instead of hypercritical?

The words censorious and hypercritical can be used in similar contexts, but censorious implies a disposition to be severely critical and condemnatory.

the censorious tone of the review

When could critical be used to replace hypercritical?

While in some cases nearly identical to hypercritical, critical may also imply an effort to see a thing clearly and truly in order to judge it fairly.

a critical essay

When is it sensible to use faultfinding instead of hypercritical?

In some situations, the words faultfinding and hypercritical are roughly equivalent. However, faultfinding implies a querulous or exacting temperament.

a faultfinding reviewer

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of hypercritical This has led to multiple fans getting hypercritical of the iconic wrestler, calling out his age and accusing him of simply being a product of former WCW president Eric Bischoff. —

Jeremy Hanna, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025 His latest hypercritical messages directed at the court this week over immigration have reverberated throughout MAGA World. —

Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 17 May 2025 While Pansy’s hypercritical diatribes can be hilarious at times, the emotional pain that clearly underlies her behavior is heartbreaking. —

Peter Debruge, Variety, 11 Jan. 2025 Especially as a woman online, a lot of people are so hypercritical of that sort of thing. —

Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for hypercritical

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hypercritical

Adjective

The film received strong critical acclaim upon its release, holding a 95% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

— Joe Otterson, Variety, 9 Feb. 2026
Some 25 million people viewed the spot, by the way, but only 15 commented on it, and most were critical.

— Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 9 Feb. 2026

Definition of critical

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hypercritic

hypercritical

hypercritically

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“Hypercritical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hypercritical. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.

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Last Updated: 10 Feb 2026 - Updated example sentences

Synonyms of hypercritical

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