hypercorrect

English

Alternative forms

• hyper-correct

Etymology

Back-formation from hypercorrection.

Adjective

hypercorrect (comparative more hypercorrect, superlative most hypercorrect)

1. (grammar) Nonstandard because of a mistaken idea of standard usage.

Derived terms

• hypercorrective, hyper-corrective
• hypercorrectly
• hypercorrectness, hyper-correctness
• hypercorrectism, hyper-correctism

Translations

nonstandard because of a mistaken idea of standard usage

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 矯枉過正的／矫枉过正的 (zh) (jiǎowǎngguòzhèng de), 糾正過頭的／纠正过头的 (jiūzhèng guòtóu de)

• Czech: hyperkorektní, hyperspisovný
• Finnish: hyperkorrekti
• German: hyperkorrekt
• Irish: forcheart
• Italian: ipercorretto
• Korean: 과도교정 (過度校正) (gwadogyojeong)
• Polish: hiperpoprawny
• Russian: гиперкорре́ктный (giperkorréktnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: os-cheart
• Serbo-Croatian: hiperispravan, hiperkorektan
• Slovak: hyperkorektný (sk), hyperspisovný
• Slovene: hiperkorekten, nadpravilen
• Spanish: hipercorrecto

Verb

hypercorrect (third-person singular simple present hypercorrects, present participle hypercorrecting, simple past and past participle hypercorrected)

1. (transitive) To change (a word or phrase) to a nonstandard form in the mistaken belief that it is standard usage.
   • 2007 October 28, William Safire, “And Now This”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     I use reduplicate to mean redouble, though both words should mean quadruple, but English is funny that way, so hold off on the hypercorrecting gotcha!

Further reading

• “hypercorrect”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• “hypercorrect, adj.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• hypercorrect at OneLook Dictionary Search
• “hypercorrect”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
• “hypercorrect” in TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2023.

French

Pronunciation

• ^{(mute h)} IPA^(key): /i.pɛʁ.kɔ.ʁɛkt/

Adjective

hypercorrect (feminine hypercorrecte, masculine plural hypercorrects, feminine plural hypercorrectes)

1. hypercorrect

Related terms

• hypercorrection
• hypercorriger

Further reading

• “hypercorrect”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.