hyperˈcritical, a.
[f. hyper- 4 + critical.]
Of the character of a hypercritic; extremely or unduly critical; addicted to excessive adverse criticism, esp. upon minute or trivial points.
| 1605 Camden Rem. (1637) 16 The hypercriticall controller of Poets, Julius Scaliger, doth so severely censure Nations, that he seemed to sit in the chaire of the scornfull. 1611 Coryat Crudities 515, I suppose that some hyper-criticall carpers will taxe me of vanity. 1738 Swift Pol. Conversat. Introd. 56, I..hope, that such Hypercritical Readers will please to consider [etc.]. 1863 M. E. Braddon Eleanor's Vict. I. i. 3 It would have been hypercritical to have objected to the shortness of the skirt. |
Hence hyperˈcritically adv., in a hypercritical manner.
| 1715 M. Davies Athen. Brit. I. Contents at end Z z ij b, Too Hipercritically lavishing of their Lashes and Encomiums upon Friend and Foe, Indiscriminatively, rather than impartially. 1867 Stubbs Lect. Med. & Mod. Hist. (1886) 13 God forbid that we should speak contemptuously or hypercritically of any honest worker. |