faultfinding
faultfinding — noun
1. the habit of complaining about small or unimportant problems with what someone d
the habit of complaining about small or unimportant problems with what someone does, often in a way that seems unfair or unkind.
Walid grew tired of his mother-in-law's constant faultfinding about how he cooked the rice.
faultfinding about + how-clause; common in family/domestic contexts
The new manager replaced endless faultfinding with clear, written feedback after each project.
collocation: endless / constant faultfinding
Ada quit the choir because she could no longer bear the conductor's daily faultfinding.
Too much faultfinding from parents can make a child afraid to try anything new.
- nitpicking
informal; same idea of complaining about tiny details
- carping
formal; suggests continuous, irritating criticism
- quibbling
criticism focused on trivial points, often in an argument
- praise
expression of approval, the opposite stance
- encouragement
support meant to help someone keep trying
文法句型
faultfinding about + noun
constant/endless + faultfinding
用法筆記
Always uncountable and almost always negative; the speaker disapproves of the criticism, not just the act of pointing things out. Distinguish from neutral words like 'feedback' or 'criticism', which can be fair and useful.
常見錯誤
faultfinding — adjective
- faultfindingpositive
- more faultfindingcomparative
- most faultfindingsuperlative
1. always looking for and pointing out what is wrong with people or things, in a wa
always looking for and pointing out what is wrong with people or things, in a way that other people find unfair or annoying.
Hassan dreaded the weekly meetings with his faultfinding supervisor at the bank.
attributive use: faultfinding + person noun
Even on her birthday, Padma's faultfinding aunt complained about the colour of the cake.
common collocation: faultfinding + family-role noun
The review was so faultfinding that the chef burst into tears in the kitchen.
Ilan softened his faultfinding tone after he saw how hard the students had worked.
- critical
broader; can be neutral or fair, while faultfinding suggests unfair
- censorious
very formal; suggests strong moral disapproval
- captious
rare and very formal; same picky meaning
- supportive
actively helping and encouraging instead of criticising
- appreciative
noticing and praising good points
文法句型
a faultfinding + noun (person)
be + faultfinding
用法筆記
Almost always carries a negative judgement of the critic, not the thing being criticised. Frequently modifies people (boss, parent, teacher, critic) or things they produce (tone, review, letter, look).