criticism

From critic + -ism.

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɹɪtɪsɪzm̩/
• Hyphenation: crit‧i‧cism

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criticism (countable and uncountable, plural criticisms)

1. (uncountable) The act of criticising; a critical judgment passed or expressed.

   Synonyms: censure, dispraise, panning; see also Thesaurus:criticism

   The politician received a lot of public criticism for his controversial stance on the issue.

   Criticism has been leveled at a number of prominent figures.

   • 2019 September 3, David Karpf, “Bret Stephens Compared Me to a Nazi Propagandist in the New York Times. It Proved My Point.”, in Esquire‎^[1]:

     Bret Stephens believed that, by virtue of his comfortable position at the New York Times, he ought to be immune from insult or criticism.

2. (countable) A critical observation or detailed examination and review.

   Synonyms: critique, animadversion, stricture; see also Thesaurus:critique

   The politician received several detailed criticisms of his stance on the issue.

   • 1874, Thomas Hardy, Far From the Madding Crowd, Barnes & Noble Classics (2005 publication of 1912 Wessex edition), page 276:

     Her attitude was that of a person who listens, either to the external world of sound, or to the discourse of thought. A close criticism might have detected signs proving that she was intent on the latter alternative.

   • 2024 December 17, Didi Rankovic, “Senators Rush to Pass Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), Face Criticism Over Censorship and Age Verification Issues”, in Reclaim the Net‎^[2]:

     Buried in the article – meant to demonstrate the urgent need of adopting KOSA by linking minors’ online presence with anything from anxiety and depression to cognitive decline, sex trafficking, and death by overdose – is the mention of one of the key criticisms of the bill, namely, that it will bring in even more censorship.

• Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “criticism”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• “criticism”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

• Raymond Williams (1983), “Criticism”, in Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society, revised American edition, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, published 1985, →ISBN, page 84.

Borrowed from French criticisme. By surface analysis, critic +‎ -ism.

• IPA^(key): /kri.tiˈt͡ʃism/

criticism n (uncountable)

1. criticism

• “criticism”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2026