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

This is not the direction that criticism veered in the 21st century, however. —W. David Marx, The Atlantic, 25 Nov. 2025

Wakefield has long pushed back on criticisms of the study, but the paper was retracted in 2010 and Wakefield’s medical license was revoked. —Asuka Koda, CNN Money, 25 Nov. 2025

Continue reading … GUEST SPOT – ‘The View’ co-host extends invitation to Trump as panel mocks his MTG criticism. —FOXNews.com, 25 Nov. 2025

The department said the release was being canceled due to disruption caused by the federal government shutdown, but the announcement has sparked criticism and speculation that the report is being held because of disappointing data. —Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025

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
• statism
• sufism
• thomism
• tourism
• tropism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism
• americanism

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