faultfinding

1 of 2

adjective

fault·​find·​ing ˈfȯlt-ˌfīn-diŋ 

: disposed to find fault : captiously critical

faultfinding

2 of 2

noun

: petty, nagging, or unreasonable criticism

Synonyms

Adjective

• captious
• carping
• caviling
• cavilling
• critical
• hypercritical
• judgmental
• overcritical
• rejective

Choose the Right Synonym for faultfinding

critical, hypercritical, faultfinding, captious, carping, censorious mean inclined to look for and point out faults and defects.

critical may also imply an effort to see a thing clearly and truly in order to judge it fairly.

a critical essay

hypercritical suggests a tendency to judge by unreasonably strict standards.

hypercritical disparagement of other people's work

faultfinding implies a querulous or exacting temperament.

a faultfinding reviewer

captious suggests a readiness to detect trivial faults or raise objections on trivial grounds.

a captious critic

carping implies an ill-natured or perverse picking of flaws.

a carping editorial

censorious implies a disposition to be severely critical and condemnatory.

the censorious tone of the review

Examples of faultfinding in a Sentence

Adjective

publishers now have to produce textbooks that pass muster with a slew of faultfinding committees

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Some of the faultfinding was directed at Gen. Vasily Gerasimov, the head of the armed forces, in addition to Mr. Shoigu. —Neil MacFarquhar, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2022

Some of the faultfinding was directed at General Vasily Gerasimov, the head of the armed forces, in addition to Shoigu. —Anton Troianovski, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Oct. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1622, in the meaning defined above

Noun

circa 1611, in the meaning defined above