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

• Czech: hyperkorektní, hyperspisovný
• Finnish: hyperkorrekti
• Irish: forcheart
• Italian: ipercorretto
• Polish: hiperpoprawny
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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 an 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!