carping

1 of 2

adjective

carp·​ing ˈkär-piŋ How to pronounce carping (audio)
Synonyms of carping
: marked by or inclined to querulous and often perverse criticism
carpingly
ˈkär-piŋ-lē How to pronounce carping (audio)
adverb

carping

2 of 2

present participle of carp entry 1

Synonyms of carping

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Adjective

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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 carping in a Sentence

Adjective a peevish and carping old woman who is not a favorite at the nursing home
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Adjective
But the novel as a whole suggests that Clinton is all too well acquainted with resentment against carping critics and burdensome bureaucracies. — Adam Kirsch, The Atlantic, 16 June 2018

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1567, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of carping was in 1567

Rhymes for carping

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Browse Nearby Words

carpincho
carping
carpingly
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Cite this Entry

“Carping.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carping. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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