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)
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criticized,
past participle, past
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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
-
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:
In the forest south of town, Kandi and Mike Woodworth took a break from remodeling their home to criticize him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 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
But tech titan Elon Musk has taken to X on multiple occasions to criticize the film, which in his opinion "desecrated" the story.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Castle said that, while he might criticize some of the government agency’s numbers or methodologies, he believes in the importance of the USDA, saying it’s “still the envy of the world in this sector.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
He walked in and was headed toward the director’s office when he spotted a man he knew, a young lawyer who’d once dared to criticize Eifler in an official report.
From "Bomb" by Steve Sheinkin
The piece also criticizes media and academic discussions that portray Latino men and Latinas as politically opposed blocs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
The Book of Jubilees, one of the important works preserved in the Qumran library, strongly criticizes the prevailing lunar calendar.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
He criticizes DHS’s “conclusory or dismissive” responses to the 22,000 public comments it received about the proposal.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
“To a four-year-old, everything Mommy does is wonderful and anyone who criticizes Mommy is bad. Grown-up love means actually understanding what you love, taking the good with the bad and helping your loved one grow.”
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
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
New York's notorious Rikers Island jail, long criticized for unsanitary and violent conditions, will miss a deadline for the vast complex to close down, prompting disappointment from activists.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
“If you’ve got all these extra trips, it becomes ethically and morally problematic,” said Chris Toth, former executive director of the National Association of Attorneys General, who has also criticized Paxton’s conduct on other issues.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
Though criticized by crypto advocates for being overly stringent and driving businesses out of the state, it established the country’s first state-level framework for crypto regulation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
White House communications director Steven Cheung criticized the “media freakout” over the comments, saying that the president was pointing out how American cities would have been threatened if it were not for U.S. military intervention.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
About 60 percent of them criticized Welles and his program.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
An artificial intelligence model developed by Anthropic submitted a fabricated tip about an unsolved homicide to Philadelphia police, authorities said Friday, criticizing the company for taking two months to report the incident.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
And if she had gotten all the lifts and tucks we expect of a TV star, we’d be criticizing her for that too.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026
Packers tight end Tucker Kraft is taking heat on social media after criticizing Green Bay fans for booing during a blowout loss to Atlanta.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Wilson has spent the past decade or so criticizing Lululemon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
For one thing, the wallpost matter was also complicated, and criticizing that officer was something they weren’t sure they wanted to do.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
