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

However, Chairwoman Stabenow’s proposed Farm Bill text has already faced sharp criticism from Republican legislators, many of whom argue the bill should put more “farm back in the Farm Bill.”

From Salon

The BBC reported in October that an auction house in Oxfordshire had been forced to withdraw human and ancestral remains from a sale following criticism from native groups and museums.

From BBC

It prompted criticism from a House of Lords committee, which said the change was being introduced "at a pace that does not permit appropriate scrutiny".

From BBC

E.On is not the first supplier to face criticism over its treatment of customers who use pre-payment metres.

From BBC

Logan Paul, one of the biggest social media influencers in the world, is facing criticism for his role in promoting cryptocurrency projects.

From BBC

Related Words

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