criticize

English

Alternative forms

• criticise (UK)

Etymology

critic +‎ -ize; first element from Ancient Greek κριτικός (kritikós, “of or for judging, able to discern”), from κρίσις (krísis, “crisis”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɹɪtɪsaɪz/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: crit‧i‧cize

Verb

criticize (third-person singular simple present criticizes, present participle criticizing, simple past and past participle criticized) (transitive, intransitive)

1. To find fault (with something).

   Synonyms: censure, pick at; see also Thesaurus:criticize

   Hyponyms: find fault, shoot down, run down, trash out, fustigate, drub, excoriate

   They criticized him for endangering people's lives.

2. To evaluate (something), assessing its merits and faults.

   Synonyms: censure, appraise, judge

Related terms

Translations

See also

• scold
• complain

Further reading

• “criticise”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “criticize”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.