Meaning of criticize in English

criticize
verb
(UK usually criticise)
uk
/ˈkrɪt.ɪ.saɪz/ us
/ˈkrɪt̬.ɪ.saɪz/
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B2 [ I, T often passive ]
to express disapproval of someone or something:
The government is being widely criticized in the media for failing to limit air pollution.
We'll get nowhere if all you can do is criticize.
Synonyms
attack (CRITICIZE)
castigate formal
censure formal
chastise (CRITICIZE) formal
condemn
damn (BLAME)
decry formal
denounce (CRITICIZE)
excoriate formal
rail formal
revile formal
slam informal
Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples
to show disapproval of someone or something
  • criticizeHe criticized the government's handling of the crisis.
  • attackShe wrote an article attacking the judge and the way the trial had been conducted.
  • condemnShe was condemned for her comments about the candidate.
  • denounceThe government's economic policy has been denounced on all sides.
  • come under fireThe government programme has come under fire for mismanaging funds.
See more results »
[ T ]
to give an opinion or judgment about a book, film, etc.:
We're a group of artists who meet to discuss ideas and criticize each other's work.
More examplesFewer examples
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Disapproving & criticizing
See more results »
(Definition of criticize from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

criticize | American Dictionary

criticize
verb [ I/T ]
us
/ˈkrɪt̬·əˌsɑɪz/
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to express disagreement with or disapproval of something or someone:
[ I/T ] It’s a lot easier to criticize (a plan) than to offer useful suggestions.
(Definition of criticize from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of criticize

criticize
All sorts of wrong ways of doing things and destructive acts were exposed and criticized, and ideological problems were clarified.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
However, advocates have criticized the amendments for not doing enough for ordinary consumers and continue to demand further changes to the court system.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Numerous sets of cases have been proposed and criticized by linguists and computational linguists.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
They were expected to take part, but they were also criticized for doing so.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
If that decision is perceived as incor rectly applying the rule, it may be criticized for its failure.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Furthermore, members of the community (and perhaps even outsiders) are criticized for failing to in the appropriate conditions.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Although he expressed dissatisfaction with the existing poor law and its administration, the report's proposals were criticized as undemocratic and bureaucratic.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
My own position is that value judgments can be rationally defended or criticized.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Public benefits are sometimes criticized on grounds that they incur a large unfunded liability that future generations will have to meet.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Similar contrasts figure in the other chapters, but, happily, their focus is more on demonstrating ethnomethodological inquiry than on criticizing other approaches.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Yes, that is extreme, and such views can be criticized.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
By repeating our message frequently and criticizing policies and procedures, we established a record.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
The vocabulary taught is criticized as 'useless' and 'never used'.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
The above studies could be criticized on a number of methodological issues.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
In the late 1980s, and through the early 1990s, immigrant policies were criticized strongly, as government policies were seen as stigmatizing.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
See all examples of criticize
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
What is the pronunciation of criticize?
 
B2

Translations of criticize

in Chinese (Traditional)
批評，批判, 指責, 評論，評判（書、影片等）…
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in Chinese (Simplified)
批评，批判, 指责, 评论，评判（书、影片等）…
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in Spanish
criticar…
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in Portuguese
criticar…
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in more languages
in Japanese
in Turkish
in French
in Catalan
in Dutch
in Arabic
in Czech
in Danish
in Indonesian
in Thai
in Vietnamese
in Polish
in Malay
in German
in Norwegian
in Korean
in Ukrainian
in Italian
in Russian
批判する, 非難（ひなん）する…
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eleştirmek, tenkit etmek, eleştiride bulunmak…
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critiquer, critique, faire la critique de…
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criticar…
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kritiek hebben op, beoordelen, kritiseren…
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يَنْقُد, يَنْتَقِد…
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kritizovat, recenzovat, kriticky posoudit…
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kritisere, anmelde…
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mengritik, menilai…
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จับผิด, วิจารณ์, แสดงความเห็น…
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chỉ trích, phê bình…
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krytykować, recenzować…
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mengkritik, memberi komen…
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kritisieren…
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kritisere, finne feil ved, klandre…
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비판하다…
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осуджувати, критикувати…
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criticare, fare la critica…
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критиковать…
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critically acclaimed
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criticism
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criticize
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criticizing
critique
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Word of the Day

know-it-all

UK
/ˈnəʊ.ɪt.ɔːl/
US
/ˈnoʊ.ɪt.ɑːl/

a person who thinks that they know much more than other people

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