Meaning & use
being critical
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
The act or state of expressing disapproval or finding faults in someone or something.
Grammar: Often followed by 'of': being critical of someone or something.
Patterns
- being critical of someone
- being critical about something
- stop being critical
Being critical of your colleagues all the time will not make them work better.
She tried to avoid being critical, but the report was full of errors.
He is always being critical about the way I dress.
phrasefixed phrase
The act of examining something carefully and judging its strengths and weaknesses, especially in academic work.
Grammar: Often used in academic contexts: being critical means questioning and evaluating, not just accepting.
Patterns
- being critical of sources
- being critical in your reading
- the importance of being critical
In this course, being critical means questioning the evidence behind every claim.
The professor praised her for being critical of the research methods used in the study.
Being critical is an essential skill for university students.
Common combinations
- being critical of
- The manager was being critical of the team's performance.
- being critical about
- He is always being critical about my cooking.
- being overly critical
- You are being overly critical; the plan is actually quite good.
- being self-critical
- Being self-critical can help you improve, but too much is harmful.
Synonyms and how they differ
- judgmental
- Judgmental is always negative and focuses on disapproving of people; being critical can also mean careful analysis.
- analytical
- Analytical emphasizes logical examination rather than finding faults; being critical can include both.
- disapproving
- Disapproving is more about showing disapproval; being critical can be more neutral or academic.
Opposites
Word family
- critic noun
- A person who judges or expresses opinions about something.
- criticism noun
- The act of expressing disapproval or analyzing faults.
- critically adverb
- In a critical manner; used to modify verbs or adjectives.
- critique noun
- A detailed analysis and assessment of something.
Commonly confused: being critical or critically?
being critical vs critically
Critically is an adverb, used to modify verbs (e.g., 'think critically'). Being critical uses the adjective after 'being'.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The adjective 'critical' is followed by 'of' to show what is being criticized. Option 1 is correct. Option 2 uses 'to', which is not used here. Option 3 uses 'for', which is wrong. Option 4 uses the adverb 'critically', but after 'being' we need an adjective.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “being critical”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.