Hypercritical: meaning, definitions and examples

Used when someone is excessively critical beyond a reasonable level, often focusing on unimportant details.

• Her hypercritical attitude towards the project made it difficult for the team to stay motivated

Used when someone is excessively critical to the point where it becomes unreasonable and hurtful.

• John's overcritical feedback made everyone in the office feel undervalued

Refers to the habit of continuously looking for mistakes or problems, often in a way that is more irritating than constructive.

• She became known for her fault-finding nature, always pointing out errors even in the smallest details

Describes someone who often finds trivial faults and objections, typically in a calculated way to annoy or entrap others.

• His captious remarks during the meeting seemed designed to provoke rather than contribute constructively

Describes paying too much attention to minor or insignificant details, usually implying annoyance or pettiness.

• His nitpicking about the punctuation errors in the report delayed its submission