criticism
Americannoun
-
the act of passing judgment as to the merits of anything.
-
the act of passing severe judgment; censure; faultfinding.
- Synonyms:
- animadversion, stricture
-
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
-
the act or an instance of making an unfavourable or severe judgment, comment, etc
-
the analysis or evaluation of a work of art, literature, etc
-
the occupation of a critic
-
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
Synonym Usage
See review.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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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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.
See Examples For:
Although Burnham's legacy as Greater Manchester mayor is not without criticism there are several aspects of his inheritance that seem untouchable.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Then, as the technology advanced, their calls drew criticism that what they were really trying to do was write the rules for their own benefit—regulatory capture—at the expense of smaller rivals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
“They don’t want to risk the self-talk or even the criticism of others that they made the poor choice in not taking the low-risk option of $65,000.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
China's actions were conducted in a "professional and standard manner that leaves no room for criticism", foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a news briefing.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
The city fathers were used to more circumspect criticisms—when criticism could not be entirely avoided.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Whatever one makes of the criticisms, the idea that the film somehow undermines public faith in the values of our civilization is silly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
He did not respond to criticisms about the award or his organization.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
Paul Powers, chief executive of Physna, a company whose technology could be used to block gun parts on 3-D printers, said the strongest criticisms of AB 2047 “misunderstand how the software works.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
Tuchel was quick to brush off Trump's criticisms when mentioned to him in a news conference later.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
When there were still no arrests several months later, the whispers became louder, and public criticisms of the police, sheriff, and local prosecutor were aired in the local newspaper and on local radio stations.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
