criticize
Americanverb (used with object)
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criticizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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criticized,
past participle, past
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criticizing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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criticizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
criticized,
past participle, past
-
criticizing
present participle
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to find fault; judge unfavorably or harshly.
-
to make judgments as to merits and faults.
verb
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to judge (something) with disapproval; censure
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to evaluate or analyse (something)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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criticizernoun
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overcriticizeverb
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precriticizeverb (used with object)
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recriticizeverb (used with object)
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criticizableadjective
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noncriticizingadjective
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uncriticizableadjective
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uncriticizedadjective
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uncriticizingadjective
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well-criticizedadjective
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criticizinglyadverb
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uncriticizablyadverb
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uncriticizinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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criticizesimple
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criticizessimple
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have criticizedperfect
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has criticizedperfect
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am criticizingprogressive
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are criticizingprogressive
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is criticizingprogressive
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have been criticizingperfect progressive
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has been criticizingperfect progressive
Past
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criticizedsimple
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had criticizedperfect
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was criticizingprogressive
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were criticizingprogressive
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had been criticizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of criticize
Explanation
To criticize is to find what's wrong with something, like the improbabilities in a movie's plot line, or double standards in your father's rules. The verb criticize comes from the noun, critic, and means "to act like a critic." A critic is someone who judges, and that doesn't have to mean negative judgment (think of a glowing movie review from a movie critic), but when we use criticize we always mean finding what's wrong, instead of what's good, with something. If your friend is just learning to bake, don't criticize his first batch of burned cookies too harshly; he'll just give up.
Vocabulary lists containing criticize
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 3
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 2
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The New SAT: The Language of the Test
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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:
“I was part of a series of causes that led to that outcome,” but “you have to be allowed to criticize powerful people,” Cofnas said of Arday and his death.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Billionaires like New York Knicks owner James L. Dolan reportedly use spying tech to harass people who criticize them.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
“It’s fine to criticize the work, but don’t cross the line into personal attacks.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Cubans who once feared government reprisals now criticize the country's leaders and have taken to banging pots and pans in regular nighttime protests.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
If you criticize the government, do you worry that you might be seen as a cultural outsider?
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Yet he still believes that he’s a man of the people who should be heeded on every aspect of life, especially on how to disregard all criticism because anyone who criticizes you must be wrong.
From Slate ● Apr. 17, 2026
The suit also criticizes the exemptions carved out for certain product categories and countries,, including Canada, Mexico, and Central American countries.
From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026
The strategy by McVay was so flawed, it was actually criticized by Tom Brady on Fox, and Brady rarely criticizes anybody.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2026
If you’ve made it this far, you may be thinking that the reviewer is one of those insufferable people who criticizes others to burnish his own self-importance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025
The writer criticizes “today’s youth” from head to toe, though without dismissing them all as “hopeless cases.”
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
Shein wrote that it has drawn attention for the “quality, durability and chemical use” of its goods and has been criticized for operations contributing to “pollution, deforestation and forest degradation.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
The mayor also criticized Raman’s leadership on the council’s homelessness committee, saying its meetings were repeatedly canceled — including on Wednesday, after Raman failed to show up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
He believes Toni’s strict training regimen, often criticized as overly harsh, was precisely what allowed him to maximize his potential.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
GM has criticized that point and pushed for the bill to be changed, said a person familiar with the situation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Black policemen have often been severely criticized during the struggle, but many have played covert roles that have been extremely valuable.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
That interpretation suggests Alexander may not simply have been criticizing Harold for allegedly breaking an oath.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
Microsoft, which helped usher in the AI boom, is now part of a growing cohort of voices criticizing the concentration of power among a handful of AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
This way, you’re improving the process, not criticizing it.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
“This brings me anxiety and uncertainty about the future,” said the student, who asked for their name to be withheld because they feared consequences to their immigration status for criticizing the changes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
They were ruining everything, crowding around, criticizing, predicting disaster.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
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.
