Meaning & use
criticism
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
Remarks that point out faults or show disapproval of someone or something.
Grammar: Uncountable in general (face criticism) and countable for a particular remark (a criticism).
Patterns
- criticism of someone
- criticism for doing something
- criticism from someone
The mayor faced heavy criticism for the delay.
She takes criticism well and learns from it.
One criticism of the plan is its cost.
noununcountable
The careful study and judgment of books, films, music or art.
Grammar: Usually combined with a field: literary criticism.
Patterns
- literary criticism
- art criticism
She studies literary criticism at university.
His film criticism appears weekly in the paper.
The course covers music criticism of the last century.
Word forms
| plural | criticisms |
|---|
Common combinations
- constructive criticism
- Constructive criticism helps us improve.
- face criticism
- The coach faced criticism after the loss.
- draw criticism
- The remark drew criticism online.
- harsh criticism
- The film received harsh criticism.
- open to criticism
- The plan is open to criticism.
Synonyms and how they differ
- censure
- Censure is a formal, strong statement of disapproval, often by an official body.
- critique
- A critique is a detailed written or spoken analysis, with both praise and faults.
- disapproval
- Disapproval is the feeling, while criticism is the act of voicing faults.
- feedback
- Feedback is any response to someone's work and may be positive, so it is broader than criticism.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: criticism or critique?
criticism vs critique
A critique is a single piece of analysis, while criticism is the general act of finding fault.
Practice
The minister's speech drew sharp ___ from the opposition.
Choose one answer.
Criticism is the noun that follows sharp and is what a speech draws. Criticize is a verb, critical is an adjective, and critic is the person.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “criticism”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.