criticism

noun

crit·​i·​cism ˈkri-tə-ˌsi-zəm 

1

a

: the act of criticizing usually unfavorably

seeking encouragement rather than criticism

b

: a critical observation or remark

an unfair criticism

had a minor criticism of the design

c

: critique

2

: the art of evaluating or analyzing works of art or literature

also : writings expressing such evaluation or analysis

an anthology of literary criticism

3

: the scientific investigation of literary documents (such as the Bible) in regard to such matters as origin, text, composition, or history

Synonyms of criticism

• critique
• review

Examples of criticism in a Sentence

There was much public criticism directed at the senator.

In this job you need to be able to take criticism.

I asked my sister for some constructive criticism of my essay before I tried to revise it.

I had one minor criticism about her design.

Recent Examples on the Web

Since the start of the 2022 season, Wan’Dale Robinson (knee), Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) and Malik Nabers (knee) are among the players to suffer a serious leg injury at MetLife Stadium, which has long been the poster child for turf criticism. — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 20 July 2026

Pro-Israel criticism of Vance has grown in response to the terms of the Iran deal last month which delivered multiple concessions to the Islamic Republic. — Joseph Strauss, Sun Sentinel, 20 July 2026

Whether too slow, too heavy, too fluffy, or in the case of the inimitable Daniil Medvedev, allegedly not round, tennis balls have come in for all kinds of criticism. — James Hansen, New York Times, 20 July 2026

Kawata said most local residents supported her and colleagues encouraged her to take the leave, but she was disappointed by some online criticism that came with the extensive media coverage of her leave. — Reuters, NBC news, 20 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

critic entry 1 + -ism

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing criticism

• counter-criticism
• form criticism
• higher criticism
• lower criticism
• self-criticism
• textual criticism

Rhymes for criticism

• autism
• fascism
• racism
• sikhism
• sophism
• statism
• sufism
• thomism
• tourism
• tropism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism

Kids Definition

criticism

noun

crit·​i·​cism ˈkrit-ə-ˌsiz-əm 

1

: the act of criticizing and especially of finding fault

2

: a critical remark or comment

3

: a careful judgment or review especially by a critic