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.
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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
Etymology
Origin of criticism
Explanation
If you dye your hair bright blue, you're likely to get some criticism from people who just don't understand your personal style. When you're on the receiving end of criticism, you are being judged in a disapproving way. The noun criticism is most often used to describe negative commentary about something or someone, but it's just as correct to use criticism to mean "an examination or judgment." Critics who review books and movies consider their reviews to be criticism, whether they're positive or negative. So the criticism you receive doesn't have to be all about your faults; it can actually be a pleasant experience.
Vocabulary lists containing criticism
Power Suffix: -ism
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Excerpt from "Letter from Birmingham Jail"
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List 2
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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.
The criticism was linked in part to BP's refusal to include a resolution filed by climate activists at its annual general meeting, with Manifold saying the resolution had not been filed correctly.
From BBC • May 26, 2026
They fear a surge in nationalism that has shielded the government from criticism could give way to discontent if the economy deteriorates further.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
The report, published last Friday, drew sharp criticism over the weekend from Kevin Hassett, director of the president’s National Economic Council.
From MarketWatch • May 26, 2026
The Luce, Ferrari’s first five-seater, faced social media criticism for its design, despite the company aiming for 20% EV lineup by 2030.
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
Vincent is eager for helpful criticism and thinks Van Rappard has made reasonable points about the execution, but the tone is so awful!
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
