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
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 event gave the royals the opportunity to put on a united front in the face of Harry and Meghan's criticisms made during the show.
—
Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
Ultimately, interviews with more than two dozen people showed that Trump's aides at the White House and USAGM wanted the network to reflect Trump's successes and to tamp down on criticisms of him - a consistent thread of recent developments.
—David Folkenflik, NPR, 26 Feb. 2025
The chairwoman at the time, Cynthia Brumback, departed amid criticism of how the exhibition proceeded despite having received FBI queries into their provenance as early as July 2021.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 26 Feb. 2025
Since then, Starmer has kept a tight lid on any criticism of the president from within his ranks.
—Rob Picheta, CNN, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for criticism
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Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
Ultimately, interviews with more than two dozen people showed that Trump's aides at the White House and USAGM wanted the network to reflect Trump's successes and to tamp down on criticisms of him - a consistent thread of recent developments.
—David Folkenflik, NPR, 26 Feb. 2025
The chairwoman at the time, Cynthia Brumback, departed amid criticism of how the exhibition proceeded despite having received FBI queries into their provenance as early as July 2021.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 26 Feb. 2025
Since then, Starmer has kept a tight lid on any criticism of the president from within his ranks.
—Rob Picheta, CNN, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for criticism
Articles Related to criticism
Cite this Entry
“Criticism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/criticism. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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