Meaning & use
criticizing
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“criticizing” is a form of “criticize”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Saying what you think is wrong or bad about someone or something.
Grammar: Takes an object and often for: criticizing him for being late.
Patterns
- criticize someone for something
- criticize something
She kept criticizing her brother for forgetting the keys.
The newspaper is criticizing the plan as too costly.
Stop criticizing everything I cook.
verbtransitiveformal
Judging the good and bad points of a book, film or work of art carefully.
Grammar: Takes an object and need not be negative: criticizing a play.
Patterns
- criticize a work
The reviewer spent an hour criticizing the new novel.
Students practice criticizing poems in class.
He enjoys criticizing films with the help of a long list.
Word forms
| base form | criticize |
|---|---|
| third person singular | criticizes |
| past tense | criticized |
| -ing form | criticizing |
Common combinations
- criticizing someone for
- He was criticizing her for missing the deadline.
- criticizing the government
- Protesters were criticizing the government's decision.
- criticizing harshly
- The coach was criticizing the team harshly.
- criticizing openly
- Few employees dared to criticize the boss openly.
- constantly criticizing
- She is constantly criticizing her own work.
Synonyms and how they differ
- faulting
- Faulting means finding a specific mistake in a person or plan and is more often negative.
- slating
- Slating is British, informal and stronger, meaning attacking harshly in public.
- reviewing
- Reviewing means judging a work and can be positive, while criticizing leans to negative.
- condemning
- Condemning means saying something is very wrong, which is a stronger, moral judgment than criticizing.
Opposites
Word family
- criticism noun
- remarks that show what is wrong
- critic noun
- a person who judges art or finds faults
- critical adjective
- expressing disapproval, or very important
- critique noun
- a detailed analysis of something
- critically adverb
- in a disapproving way
Commonly confused: criticizing or criticizing? criticizing or critiquing?
criticizing vs criticizing
British English also allows the spelling criticising, which is the same word.
criticizing vs critiquing
Critiquing means giving a careful, balanced analysis, whereas criticizing focuses on faults.
Practice
Which preposition normally follows 'criticizing someone' to name the fault?
Choose one answer.
We criticize someone for something they did. The prepositions of, with and at do not form the normal pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “criticizing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.