criticism
Americannoun
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the act of passing judgment as to the merits of anything.
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the act of passing severe judgment; censure; faultfinding.
- Synonyms:
- animadversion, stricture
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the act or art of analyzing and evaluating or judging the quality of a literary or artistic work, musical performance, art exhibit, dramatic production, etc.
-
any of various methods of studying texts or documents for the purpose of dating or reconstructing them, evaluating their authenticity, analyzing their content or style, etc..
historical criticism; literary criticism.
-
investigation of the text, origin, etc., of literary documents, especially Biblical ones.
textual criticism.
noun
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the act or an instance of making an unfavourable or severe judgment, comment, etc
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the analysis or evaluation of a work of art, literature, etc
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the occupation of a critic
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a work that sets out to evaluate or analyse
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Also called: textual criticism. the investigation of a particular text, with related material, in order to establish an authentic text
Related Words
See review.
Other Word Forms
- countercriticism noun
- overcriticism noun
- precriticism noun
Etymology
Origin of criticism
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Spurs' players and coaches have come in for major criticism this season.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
The acquisition has drawn criticism from across the tech world for the risk of betraying editorial independence.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
BMI has faced increasing criticism in recent years because it does not directly measure body fat or account for how fat is distributed in the body.
From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026
She has been vocal in her criticism of the agency and the fact that it has only released redacted versions of its “use of force” report from the July 2020 incident involving her son.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
The kernel of truth in Hamilton’s distinction between personal and political criticism of Burr resides here.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
