hypercorrect

English

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• hyper-correct

Etymology

hyper- +‎ correct

Adjective

hypercorrect (comparative more hypercorrect, superlative most hypercorrect)

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

   The often exaggerated addition of /h/ before words like "out" in written Cockney is a hypercorrect affectation.

Derived terms

• hypercorrection, hyper-correction
• hypercorrective, hyper-corrective
• hypercorrectness, hyper-correctness

Translations

incorrect because of mistaken idea of correctness

• Chinese:

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

• Finnish: hyperkorrekti (fi)

• Italian: ipercorretto (it)
• Russian: гиперкорректный (ru) (giperkorréktnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: os-cheart (gd)

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 an incorrect form in the mistaken belief that it is standard usage.
   • 2007 October 28, William Safire, “And Now This”, New York Times:

     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!