criticize
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to find fault; judge unfavorably or harshly.
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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:
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
But he’ll return, as a ghost, to criticize his son, who, admittedly, has grown staid and stale in his life, his marriage and his work, whatever that’s been.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson used her concurrence to criticize Bruen and suggest that the court should eventually return to a more traditional means-end approach.
From Slate ● Jun. 26, 2026
Woodson embraced the “conservative” label, but he was neither partisan nor especially ideological and didn’t hesitate to criticize Republican approaches to helping the black poor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
But no one, not even vagabonds and homeless teens, dared criticize or poke fun at their leaders.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
“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
Ramos, 55, who denies all the allegations, said that it is an escalation of a years-long attempt to silence his work that often criticizes Mexican forces who work closely with US allies on the border.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
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
Mr. Hellbeck criticizes scholars such as Timothy Snyder for supposedly failing to see the “fundamental difference” between the Nazi and Soviet regimes in their treatments of the local population and especially of the Jews.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
But that is the end of it; everything else he criticizes from his own practical point of view.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
Meta has been consistently criticized for its spending levels over the past few quarters as the company has overhauled its AI strategy with the creation of Meta Superintelligence Labs.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
After the June primary election, California elections officials were criticized for taking about a week to determine which gubernatorial and Los Angeles mayoral candidates would advance to November’s runoff.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
The Dodgers were widely criticized by fans for failing to speak out at the time.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Both companies have defended their actions, criticized the insurers, and said courts lack jurisdiction over the arbitration awards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Even being Caesar’s daughter would not save her from some dreadful punishment if it was believed she criticized him, even in the privacy of her heart.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
Scott Pelley, one of the show’s longest-serving correspondents, departed after pushing back against the firings, criticizing Weiss and questioning Bilton’s qualifications during a staff meeting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
This way, you’re improving the process, not criticizing it.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
“Lorne’s always saying everyone in Hollywood has two jobs: their own job and criticizing “SNL.'”
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
Vance told members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet criticizing the agreement to "wake up and smell the reality," amid growing tensions between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
“You have a lot of nerve criticizing my lack of ambition when my flexibility is the only reason the kids have rides to their activities and dinner on their plates every night,” she hissed.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
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.
