| Main Entry: | carp |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | nag |
Synonyms: |
bother, cavil, censure, complain, criticize, find fault, fuss, grumble, hypercriticize, knock, nitpick, objurgate, pan, peck, pick at, quibble, reproach |
Antonyms: |
ignore, let go |
| Main Entry: | carping |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | complaining |
Synonyms: |
bellyaching, caviling, censorious, critical, criticizing, deprecatory, disparaging, fault-finding, griping, grouchy, grousing, grumbling, hypercritical, kvetching, moaning, nagging, niggling, nit-picking, overcritical, quibbling, scathing, whining |
Antonyms: |
complimentary, forgiving |
| Main Entry: | captious |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | very critical |
Synonyms: |
acrimonious, cantankerous, carping, caviling, cavillous, censorious, contrary, crabby, cross, demanding, deprecating, disparaging, exacting, exceptive, fault-finding, finicky, hypercritical, irritable, nagging, nit-picking, overcritical, peevish, perverse, petulant, sarcastic, severe, testy, touchy |
Antonyms: |
commendatory, complimentary, encouraging, flattering, laudatory, praising |
| Main Entry: | censorious |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | very critical |
Synonyms: |
accusatory, captious, carping, caviling, cavillous, chiding, complaining, condemnatory, condemning, critical, culpatory, denouncing, disapproving, disparaging, fault-finding, hypercritical, overcritical, reprehending, reproaching, severe |
Antonyms: |
complimentary, encouraging, flattering, laudatory, praising |
| Main Entry: | complain |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | grumble about |
Synonyms: |
accuse, ascribe, attack, beef, bellyache, bemoan, bewail, bitch, carp, cavil, charge, contravene, criticize, defy, demur, denounce, deplore, deprecate, differ, disagree, disapprove, dissent, expostulate, find fault, fret, fuss, gainsay, grieve, gripe, groan, grouse, growl, grumble, impute, indict, kick up a fuss, lament, lay, look askance, make a fuss, moan, nag, object, oppose, protest, refute, remonstrate, repine, reproach, snivel, sound off, take exception to, wail, whimper, whine, yammer |
Antonyms: |
applaud, approve, be content, be happy, commend, praise, recommend, sanction |
| Main Entry: | critical |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | fault-finding, detracting |
Synonyms: |
analytical, belittling, biting, calumniatory, captious, carping, caviling, cavillous, censorious, censuring, choleric, condemning, critic, cutting, cynical, demanding, demeaning, derogatory, diagnostic, disapproving, discerning, discriminating, disparaging, exacting, exceptive, finicky, fussy, hairsplitting, humbling, hypercritical, lowering, nagging, niggling, nit-picking, overcritical, particular, penetrating, reproachful, sarcastic, satirical, scolding, severe, sharp, trenchant, withering |
Antonyms: |
complimentary, laudatory, praising |
| Main Entry: | criticism |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | verbal disapproval |
Synonyms: |
Bronx cheer, animadversion, aspersion, bad press, blast, brickbats, call down, carping, cavil, caviling, censure, critical remarks, cut*, denunciation, disparagement, faultfinding, flak, hit*, knock*, nit-picking, objection, opprobrium, pan, panning, put down, quibble, rap on knuckles, reproof, roast, slam*, slap on wrist, slap, static, stricture, swipe, vitriol, zapper |
| Notes: | a criticism is an evaluation or judgment of something, while critique is a somewhat elevated term for the same thing; review is used as a synonym for these but may also imply a more comprehensive study |
Antonyms: |
approval, compliment, praise |
| Main Entry: | criticize |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | disapprove, judge as bad |
Synonyms: |
animadvert on, bash, blame, blast, blister, carp, castigate, censure, chastise, chide, clobber, come down on, condemn, cut down, cut to bits, cut up, denounce, denunciate, disparage, do a number on, dress down, excoriate, find fault, fluff, fulminate against, fustigate, give bad press, hit, jump on, knock*, lambaste*, nag at, nit-pick, pan, pick at, rap, reprehend, reprimand, reprobate, reprove, rip*, roast, scathe, scorch*, skin alive, skin*, slam*, slog, slug, take down, trash*, trim*, zap |
Antonyms: |
approve, compliment, laud, praise |
| Main Entry: | fault-finding |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | critical |
Synonyms: |
captious, carping, fussy, hairsplitting, hard to please, hypercritical, nagging, niggling, nit-picking, overcritical, pettifogging, quibbling |
| Main Entry: | fret |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | worry, be annoyed |
Synonyms: |
affront, agonize, anguish, bleed, bother, brood, carp, carry a heavy load, chafe, chagrin, distress oneself, eat one's heart out, fume, fuss, get into a dither, grieve, lose sleep over, mope, pother, stew, sweat it out, take on, torment, upset oneself |
Antonyms: |
calm, comfort, soothe |