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

Shop co-owner Adam Rubin says Clarkson’s public criticism fueled online attacks against employees and neighboring businesses. — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

The two designers’ departures were revealed Thursday after their collections faced criticism for the last few seasons. — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026

The president downplayed the criticism within his party over the agreement, which would supply the United States and global marketplaces with diesel equivalent to only a little more than one day of global demand. — Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026

Still, Apple's AI strategy has drawn criticism from investors and customers in part because its new version of Siri, released last month, isn't as advanced as chatbots and agents from leading labs. — Kif Leswing,jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 15 Oct. 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