new criticism

American

noun

(often initial capital letters) an approach to the critical study of literature that concentrates on textual explication and rejects historical and biographical study as irrelevant to an understanding of the total formal organization of a work.

new criticism British

noun

an approach to literary criticism through close analysis of the text

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of new criticism

First recorded in 1940–45

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.

Michael Burry, the hedge-fund manager of “The Big Short” fame who is betting against two of the stock market’s favorite AI plays, is back with a new criticism of valuations in the sector.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 11, 2025

But other aspects of his past, including his past relationships with women, became fodder for new criticism.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 23, 2024

Each day, he posts new criticism of government figures on Facebook.

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2024

The IMF declined comment on the new criticism of the deal.

From Reuters • May 18, 2023

The new criticism inaugurated by Coleridge aimed at interpretation rather than at magisterial regulation; and no one will now revert to the old.

From Dr. Johnson and His Circle by Bailey, John Cann

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023