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

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

That criticism has sometimes veered toward threats against company executives and political figures. —William Gavin, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024

It's repeatedly faced harsh criticism over its failure to curb child abuse on the platform. —Jibin Joseph, PCMAG, 7 Nov. 2024

Danni could’ve taken his comment about coming on strong as constructive criticism but has completely forgotten it. —Emma Soren, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2024

In an interview with The Hill on Sunday, Fox’s election night anchors — Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum — brushed off potential criticism from Trump of their coverage. —Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024

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

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