criticism

[krit-uh-siz-uhm]

noun

1. the act of passing judgment as to the merits of anything.

2. the act of passing severe judgment; censure; faultfinding.

   Synonyms: animadversion, stricture

3. 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.

4. a critical comment, article, or essay; critique.

5. 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.

6. investigation of the text, origin, etc., of literary documents, especially Biblical ones.

   textual criticism.

criticism

/ ˈkrɪtɪˌsɪzəm /

noun

1. the act or an instance of making an unfavourable or severe judgment, comment, etc

2. the analysis or evaluation of a work of art, literature, etc

3. the occupation of a critic

4. a work that sets out to evaluate or analyse

5. Also called: textual criticism. the investigation of a particular text, with related material, in order to establish an authentic text

Other Word Forms

• countercriticism noun
• overcriticism noun
• precriticism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of criticism¹

First recorded in 1600–10; critic + -ism

Synonym Study

See review.

Example Sentences

The City Council’s finance committee voted 25-10 on Monday to reject his revenue package, amid criticism that included some of the Mayor’s allies.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It comes after a dismal few weeks for the PM, who has faced growing criticism and speculation he could face a leadership challenge.

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In blaming governance issues, Banerji appears to have made a direct criticism of chairman Samir Shah and other members of the board.

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Despite criticism that the bout is a mismatch designed to deliver Joshua, 35, an easy payday, Hearn insists his fighter remains focused on long-term plans.

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Dodds responded to the criticism from the UUP on BBC One's The View, saying: "Pot, kettle, and black comes to mind."

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Related Words

• assessment 
• comment 
• critique 
• judgment 
• opinion 
• review