Return to the home page.

Expand/collapse menu.

Visit Our Sites

Unabridged Dictionary

Learner's Dictionary

Word Central for Kids

Collegiate Dictionary

Expand/collapse menu.

Premium Services

Unabridged Dictionary

Collegiate Dictionary

Encyclopedia Britannica

Institutional Subscriptions

Expand/collapse menu.

Expand/collapse menu.

Word of the Day

Subscriber Help

Expand/collapse menu.

More Word Games

Daily Crosswords

Expand/collapse menu.

Open Dictionary

Alphabetical Browse

Browse Categories

Submit an Entry

Expand/collapse menu.

Spelling Bee Hive

Hive Headquarters

Spelling Champion

Spelling Reform

Expand/collapse menu.

Word for the Wise

Today's Broadcast

Expand/collapse menu.

Books and CD-Roms

Online Services

Palm and Pocket PC

Expand/collapse menu.

Looking Up a Word

Citing the Dictionary

Audio Pronunciations

Word Games Help

Expand/collapse menu.

Merriam-Webster FAQ

Advertising Info

Copyright Notice

Also Visit:
Unabridged

Visual
ESL:
Learner's
for Kids:
Spell It!
Word Central

criticism

Browse the Dictionary:: A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; I; J; K; L; M; N; O; P; Q; R; S; T; U; V; W; X; Y; Z; #

criticism

Main Entry:: crit·i·cism
Pronunciation:: \ˈkri-tə-ˌsi-zəm\
Function:: noun
Date:: 1607

1 a: the act of criticizing usually unfavorably <seeking encouragement rather than criticism> b: a critical observation or remark <an unfair criticism> c: critique2: the art of evaluating or analyzing works of art or literature; also : writings expressing such evaluation or analysis <an anthology of literary criticism>3: the scientific investigation of literary documents (as the Bible) in regard to such matters as origin, text, composition, or history

Learn more about "criticism" and related topics at Britannica.com

See a map of "criticism" in the Visual Thesaurus

Find Jobs in Your City

Pronunciation Symbols