criticism

noun

crit·i·cism | \ ˈkri-tə-ˌsi-zəm

Definition of criticism

1a : 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

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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

Bieber addressed the criticism with a selfie posted to her Instagram Story, in which her new tan is on full view. — Leah Prinzivalli, Allure, "Hailey Bieber Claps Back at Critics Who Called Her "Too Tan”," 29 Apr. 2019 The government’s inability to cope with rising needs has fueled criticism and anger even among its support base. — Sarah El Deeb, The Seattle Times, "Syria’s Assad: Last man standing amid new Arab uprisings," 13 Apr. 2019 Such criticism has followed the rocket ever since Obama's change of course in 2011. — Andrew Moseman, Popular Mechanics, "Not Going Back to the Moon: A Brief Timeline," 27 Mar. 2019 Your therapist isn’t receptive to constructive criticism. — Kimberly Truong, SELF, "Here’s Exactly How to Break Up With Your Therapist," 9 Mar. 2019 Kim didn't take Chloë's unsolicited criticism so well. — Yerin Kim, Seventeen, "Kim Kardashian's Most Savage Quotes and Clapbacks of All Time," 4 Mar. 2019 But the fact that she's suffered from acne and taking a lot of public criticism for her skin issues is absolutely true. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "Kendall Jenner Says Suffering From Acne Was 'Debilitating'," 18 Jan. 2019 Throughout it all, there has been no whiff of public criticism from the party’s national leadership or allies in the conservative media. — Zack Beauchamp, Vox, "The Republican Party versus democracy," 17 Dec. 2018 But even in its current state, the announcement has set off a firestorm of criticism within the scientific and ethics communities. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Reports out of China suggest first human gene-edited babies have been born," 26 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'criticism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.