Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective faultfinding contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of faultfinding are captious, carping, censorious, critical, and hypercritical. While all these words mean "inclined to look for and point out faults and defects," faultfinding implies a querulous or exacting temperament.

a faultfinding reviewer

When is it sensible to use captious instead of faultfinding?

The synonyms captious and faultfinding are sometimes interchangeable, but 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 faultfinding?

The words carping and faultfinding are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, carping implies an ill-natured or perverse picking of flaws.

a carping editorial

In what contexts can censorious take the place of faultfinding?

Although the words censorious and faultfinding have much in common, censorious implies a disposition to be severely critical and condemnatory.

the censorious tone of the review

When could critical be used to replace faultfinding?

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

a critical essay

When is hypercritical a more appropriate choice than faultfinding?

The words hypercritical and faultfinding can be used in similar contexts, but hypercritical suggests a tendency to judge by unreasonably strict standards.

hypercritical disparagement of other people's work

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for faultfinding
Adjective
  • Additionally, 25 percent of younger Americans pointed to housing costs as a critical area for government focus, while only 10 percent of those aged 60 and above shared this view.
    Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
  • To this day, organizations widely regard Secure Boot as an important, if not essential, foundation of trust in securing devices in some of the most critical environments.
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • So much of the new sobriety flex is anathema to the captious alcoholics of 12-step groups.
    Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 19 Apr. 2022
  • That a right-wing party traditionally captious about American patriotism did not react heatedly to evidence of Russian interference in US elections is bizarre.
    Darryl Pinckney, The New York Review of Books, 5 Nov. 2020
Adjective
  • Perhaps the most powerful approach is to just be there for the person, show acceptance and concern, and listen without being judgmental or giving advice.
    James Bickerton, Newsweek, 4 Jan. 2025
  • Oui Oui Baguette In a December 5 interview on the French YouTube show Oui Oui Baguette, Grande is asked about beauty standards and self-image in a judgmental society.
    Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • Savvy and sophisticated, Vivian Kensington embodies Virgo's conservative and meticulous approach, which on the dark side, includes her hypercritical nature and tactical strategy to humiliate Elle Woods.
    Valerie Mesa, Peoplemag, 12 July 2024
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near faultfinding

Cite this Entry

“Faultfinding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faultfinding. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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