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

• critique
• examen
• notice
• review

Example Sentences

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

House Republicans were set to move forward with a vote to oust Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from her position on the Foreign Affairs Committee, citing her criticism of Israel and past statements that were criticized as antisemitic. —Natalie Andrews, WSJ, 1 Feb. 2023

James, who is 117 points from surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, and Davis voiced their criticism after the loss. —Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2023

Ratcheting up his criticism, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin on Wednesday moved to delay new tax credits for electric vehicles, a key feature of President Joe Biden’s landmark climate law. —Fortune, 26 Jan. 2023

On homosexuality Pope Francis has stepped up his criticism of discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community. —Nicole Winfield, Baltimore Sun, 25 Jan. 2023

Following last season, during a team meeting in the wrestling room, wrestlers aired their constructive criticism about how the coaching staff needed to grow. —Tyler Tachman, The Indianapolis Star, 25 Jan. 2023

Ratcheting up his criticism of the Biden administration, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin on Wednesday moved to delay new tax credits for electric vehicles, a key feature of President Biden’s landmark climate law. —Matthew Daly, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Jan. 2023

Then on Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee called a hearing to question Live Nation Entertainment, and both Democrats and Republicans were quick with their criticism and cringey-yet-impressive lyrical puns. —Madison Feller, ELLE, 24 Jan. 2023

Klobuchar, who has been especially outspoken in her criticism of the ticketing giant since the Swift ticketing debacle in October, spoke with Variety at length about the issues last month. —Jem Aswad, Variety, 23 Jan. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

critic entry 1 + -ism

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing criticism

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

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

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