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

The View From The Critics Much of the criticism of Witkoff stems from his work on Ukraine negotiations and has intensified in recent days after an initial 28-point Ukraine peace proposal leaked to the media. —Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 9 Dec. 2025

Her essays and cultural criticism—covering topics from Palestine to food, music, and diaspora—have appeared in The Atlantic, TIME Magazine, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Cosmopolitan, Autostraddle, and more. —Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025

Continue reading … WOKE COLOR WARS – Pantone faces criticism over selection of white shade as latest Color of the Year. —FOXNews.com, 9 Dec. 2025

Chinese officials have renewed pledges to expand imports and work toward balancing trade amid widespread criticism against its aggressive exports. —Anniek Bao, CNBC, 8 Dec. 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