criticism

[ krit-uh-siz-uhm ]

noun

1. the act of passing judgment as to the merits of anything.
2. the act of passing severe judgment; censure; faultfinding.

   Synonyms: animadversion, stricture

3. 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.
4. a critical comment, article, or essay; critique.
5. 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.

6. investigation of the text, origin, etc., of literary documents, especially Biblical ones:

   textual criticism.

criticism

/ ˈkrɪtɪˌsɪzəm /

noun

1. the act or an instance of making an unfavourable or severe judgment, comment, etc
2. the analysis or evaluation of a work of art, literature, etc
3. the occupation of a critic
4. a work that sets out to evaluate or analyse
5. Also calledtextual criticism the investigation of a particular text, with related material, in order to establish an authentic text

Other Words From

• counter·criti·cism noun
• over·criti·cism noun
• pre·criti·cism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of criticism¹

First recorded in 1600–10; critic + -ism

Synonym Study

See review.

Example Sentences

But the report quickly raised fears in the context of harsh criticism by Trump and those in his inner circle of “woke generals” — a catchall phrase for those who are derided for allegedly promoting diversity and inclusion at the expense of military readiness.

From Los Angeles Times

The annual event comes as the government also faces criticism from businesses for holding back growth through tax raises, which Reeves has said are necessary to "properly fund" public services.

From BBC

But the nomination has sparked criticism in some quarters.

From BBC

In the same year, she also faced criticism for her perceived support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, seen as a key Russian ally.

From BBC

For example, Trump, who tempered criticism of electric vehicles after Musk backed him, might end a $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• assessment
• comment
• critique
• judgment
• opinion
• review