carping

[ kahr-ping ]

adjective

1. characterized by fussy or petulant faultfinding; querulous:

   carping criticism.

noun

1. petty faultfinding.

ˈcarping

/ ˈkɑːpɪŋ /

adjective

1. tending to make petty complaints; fault-finding

Derived Forms

• ˈcarpingly, adverb

Other Word Forms

• carping·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of carping¹

1275–1325; Middle English (noun); carp ¹, -ing ², -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Believe me, I’m completely aware that I sound like a Scrooge, a buzzkill harping and carping about innocuous movies that are meant to be little more than background noise while people scroll on their phones.

From Salon

He achieved far more legislatively than many thought possible, given the narrow margins Democrats held in the House and Senate, and presided over an economy that, partisan carping aside, is the envy of the world.

From Los Angeles Times

And who knows what Republicans are thinking about Trump's inconsistent directives about early voting or constant carping about the elections being rigged?

From Salon

A cabinet minister says: “It’s just so good to be in government; it’s really, really tough but any tough day is better than 14 years of carping on in opposition.”

From BBC

Respectfully, the fans carping about coach DeShaun Foster after three games of a predictably difficult season are missing an essential point.

From Los Angeles Times