| Main Entry: | nitpick |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | criticize |
Synonyms: |
carp, cavil, quibble |
| Main Entry: | nitpicking |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | niggling about details |
Synonyms: |
captious, hairsplitting |
| 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: | 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: | 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: | distress |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | worry, upset |
Synonyms: |
afflict, aggrieve, agonize, ail, be on one's case, bother, break, bug, burn up, depress, desolate, discombobulate, disquiet, disturb, do a number on, dog*, eat*, get to, get*, give a hard time, grieve, harass, harry, hound, hurt, injure, irk, irritate, make it tough for, miff, nag, needle, nit-pick, oppress, pain, peeve, perplex, pester, pick on, plague, push, push buttons, rack, sadden, strain, strap, stress, tick off, torment, torture, trouble, try, vex, weigh, wound |
Antonyms: |
assist, calm, comfort, help, soothe |
| Main Entry: | exacting |
| Part of Speech: | adjective |
| Definition: | demanding |
Synonyms: |
burdensome, by the book, careful, critical, difficult, exigent, finicky, fussy, grievous, hard, harsh, hypercritical, imperious, nit-picking, onerous, oppressive, painstaking, particular, persnickety, picky, precise, rigid, rigorous, severe, stern, strict, stringent, taxing, tough, trying, unsparing, weighty |
Antonyms: |
giving, lending |