criticisms

crit·i·cism (kr

-s

1. The act of criticizing, especially adversely.

2. A critical comment or judgment.

a. The practice of analyzing, classifying, interpreting, or evaluating literary or other artistic works.

b. A critical article or essay; a critique.

c. The investigation of the origin and history of literary documents; textual criticism.

criticism [ˈkrɪtɪˌsɪzəm]

1. the act or an instance of making an unfavourable or severe judgment, comment, etc.

2. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) the analysis or evaluation of a work of art, literature, etc.

3. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Art Terms) (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) the occupation of a critic

4. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) a work that sets out to evaluate or analyse

5. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) Also called textual criticism the investigation of a particular text, with related material, in order to establish an authentic text

Criticism

See also literature; philosophy

anagraph

a review or critique.

Aristotelian criticism

a critical theory, doctrine, or approach based upon the method used by Aristotle in the Poetics, implying a formal, logical approach to literary analysis that is centered on the work itself. Cf. Platonic criticism.

chorizontist

Rare. a critic of Homeric literature who claims the Iliad and the Odyssey had different authors.

contextualism

a school of literary criticism that focuses on the work as an autonomous entity, whose meaning should be derived solely from an examination of the work itself. Cf. New Criticism. — contextualist, n., adj.

empirio-criticism

the type of criticism whose aim is the reduction of knowledge to descriptions of pure experience and the elimination of such aspects as metaphysics. — empiriocritical, adj.

epicrisis

a detailed criticism of a book, dissertation, or other writing.

exegesis

a critical interpretation or explication, especially of biblical and other religious texts. — exegetic, exegetical, adj.

formal criticism

a critical approach, doctrine, or technique that places heavy emphasis on style, form, or technique in art or literature, seeing these as more important than or even determining content.

formalism

a critical emphasis upon style, arrangement, and artistic means with limited attention to content, — formalist, n. — formalistic, adj.

Freudianism

the application of the theories of the personality developed by Freud to the development of characters and other aspects of artistic creation. Cf. psychoanalytical criticism. — Freudian, n., adj.

genre criticism

a critical approach, doctrine, or technique that emphasizes, in evaluating a work, the genre or medium in which it can be placed rather than seeing it entirely as an autonomous entity.

hypercriticism

the practice of unreasonable or unjustly severe criticism; faultfinding. — hypercritic, n., adj. — hypercritical, adj.

Jungian criticism

a critical approach, doctrine, or practice that applies the theories of Jungian psychology to works of art and literature, especially with regard to Jungian theories of myth, archetype, and symbol. Cf. mythic criticism.

mimesis

an imitation, used in literary criticism to designate Aristotle’s theory of imitation. — mimetic, adj.

mythic criticism

a critical approach or technique that seeks mythic meaning or imagery in literature, looking beyond the immediate context of the work in time and place. Cf. Jungian criticism.

New Criticism

a critical approach to literature that concentrates upon analysis and explication of individual texts and considers historical and biographical information less important than an awareness of the work’s formal structure. — New Critic, n.

new humanism

an American antirealist, antinaturalist, and anti-Romantic literary and critical movement of circa 1915-1933, whose principal exponents were Babbitt, More, and Foerster, influenced by Matthew Arnold, and whose aims were to show the importance of reason and will in a context of rectitude and dignity. — new humanist, n., adj.

Platonic criticism

a critical approach or doctrine based upon and applying the ideas and values of Plato and Platonism, implying a literary analysis which finds the value of a work in its extrinsic qualities and historical context, as well as in its non-artistic usefulness. Cf. Aristotelian criticism.

practical criticism

a practical approach to literary criticism, in which the text is approached in universal terms with little recourse to an elaborate apparatus of reference outside the text. Cf. theoretical criticism.

psychoanalytical criticism

an approach to criticism or a critical technique that applies the principles, theories and practices of psychoanalysis to literature, both in the analysis of the work and of the author. See also Freudianism.

purism

in criticism, rigid or strict evaluation of a work of art or literature in terms of a code of standards of the critic or of a school of style or criticism related to or distinct from the critic, artist, or writer. See also art; language; literature. — purist, n., adj.

self-criticism

the action of finding one’s own faults and shortcomings. — self-critical, adj.

textual criticism

the close study of a particular literary work in order to establish its original text. — textual critic, n.

theoretical criticism

a critical approach or doctrine that examines a literary work in the light of certain theories of literature or uses the text as a support for the development of literary theory. Cf. practical criticism.

Zoilism

the practice of making bitter, carping, and belittling critical judgments. — Zoilus, Zoili, n.

Criticism

(They were) as critical as a fan-club —William McIlvanney
Blaming X [one group of an industry] for the decline of business is like blaming the iceberg for the demise of the Titanic —Bill Soutar, Publisher’s Weekly, 1985
Soutar was speaking specifically about poor business in his field of soft cover book distribution.
Criticism is like champagne: nothing more execrable if bad, nothing more excellent if good —Charles Caleb Colton
Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man’s growth without destroying his roots —Frank A. Clark, Reader’s Digest, September, 1971
Criticizing, like charity, should begin at home —B. C. Forbes
Impersonal criticism is like an impersonal fist fight, or an impersonal marriage, and as successful —George Jean Nathan
Like people rummaging in boxes for a knife, everyone searched deep in his memory for a grievance —Marguerite Yourcenar
Long harangue [of complaints] … it was like a three-hour movie with no intermission —Elizabeth Spencer
See Also: SLOWNESS
Muttering thin complaints like little children called from play —James Crumley
Rattling off her woes like mea culpas —Rita Mae Brown
Safe from criticsm as a stutter or a squint —Henry James
(Mothers) scolded in voices like amplified hens —Rumer Godden
See Also: VOICES, HARSH
Shot grievances like beads across an abacus —Cynthia Ozick
Sounded like a cranky old man who needs a stray Airedale to kick —New York Times editorial criticizing New York Mayor Edward Koch for his remark about the Soviet government’s arrest of an American journalist, September 17, 1986
Squeaking like little pigs coming out of the barn door —Congressman Dale Lotta (Ohio), April 9, 1987

Criticism

(See also FAULTFINDING.)

blue-pencil To delete or excise, alter or abridge; to mark for correction or improvement. Used of written matter exclusively, blue-pencil derives from the blue pencil used by many editors to make manuscript changes and comments.

damn with faint praise To praise in such restrained or indifferent terms as to render the praise worthless; to condemn by using words which, at best, express mediocrity. Its first use was probably by Alexander Pope in his 1735 Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot:

Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer.

peanut gallery See INSIGNIFICANCE.

pot shot A random, offhand criticism or condemnation; a censorious remark shot from the hip, lacking forethought and direction. Webster’s Third cites C. H. Page’s reference to

subjects which require serious discussion, not verbal potshots.

Pot shot originally referred to the indiscriminate, haphazard nature of shots taken at game with the simple intention of providing a meal, i.e., filling the pot. By transference, the term acquired the sense of a shot taken at a defenseless person or thing at close range from an advantageous position.

slings and arrows Barbed attacks, stinging criticism; any suffering or affliction, usually intentionally directed or inflicted. The words come from the famous soliloquy in which Hamlet contemplates suicide:

Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles

And by opposing end them. (III, i)

As commonly used, the expression often retains the suffer of the original phrase, but usually completes the thought by substituting another object for outrageous fortune, as in the following:

En route to the United States the enterprise has suffered the slings and arrows of detractors as diverse as George Meany and Joseph Papp. (Roland Gelatt, in Saturday Review, February, 1979)

stop-watch critic A hidebound formalist, whose focus is so riveted on traditional criteria or irrelevant minutiae that he fails to attend to or even see the true and total object of his concern. Laurence Sterne gave us the term in Tristram Shandy.

“And how did Garrick speak the soliloquy last night?” “Oh, against all the rule, my lord, most ungrammatically. Betwixt the substantive and the adjective, which should agree together in number, case, and gender, he made a breach, thus—stopping as if the point wanted settling; and betwixt the nominative case, which, your lordship knows, should govern the verb, he suspended his voice in the epilogue a dozen times, three seconds and three-fifths by a stop-watch, my lord, each time.”

“Admirable grammarian! But in suspending his voice was the sense suspended likewise? Did no expression of attitude or countenance fill up the chasm? Was the eye silent? Did you narrowly look?” “I looked only at the stop-watch, my lord.” “Excellent observer!”

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun	1.	criticism - disapproval expressed by pointing out faults or shortcomings; "the senator received severe criticism from his opponent" unfavorable judgment attack - strong criticism; "he published an unexpected attack on my work" disapproval - the expression of disapproval brickbat - blunt criticism carping, faultfinding - persistent petty and unjustified criticism flack, flak, attack, blast, fire - intense adverse criticism; "Clinton directed his fire at the Republican Party"; "the government has come under attack"; "don't give me any flak" thrust - verbal criticism; "he enlivened his editorials with barbed thrusts at politicians" potshot - criticism aimed at an easy target and made without careful consideration; "reporters took potshots at the mayor" rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to take the rebuke with a smile on his face" slating - a severely critical attack; "the reviewers gave his book a sound slating" static - angry criticism; "they will probably give you a lot of static about your editorial" stricture - severe criticism
	2.	criticism - a serious examination and judgment of something; "constructive criticism is always appreciated" critique critical analysis, critical appraisal - an appraisal based on careful analytical evaluation examen - a critical study (as of a writer's work) knock, roast - negative criticism self-criticism - criticism of yourself
	3.	criticism - a written evaluation of a work of literature literary criticism piece of writing, written material, writing - the work of a writer; anything expressed in letters of the alphabet (especially when considered from the point of view of style and effect); "the writing in her novels is excellent"; "that editorial was a fine piece of writing" explication de texte - a method of literary criticism that analyzes details of a text in order to reveal its structure and meaning textual criticism - comparison of a particular text with related materials in order to establish authenticity new criticism - literary criticism based on close analysis of the text analysis - a form of literary criticism in which the structure of a piece of writing is analyzed critical review, critique, review article, review - an essay or article that gives a critical evaluation (as of a book or play)

criticism

noun

1. fault-finding, censure, disapproval, disparagement, stick (slang), knocking (informal), panning (informal), slamming (slang), slating (informal), flak (informal), slagging (slang), strictures, bad press, denigration, brickbats (informal), character assassination, sideswipe, critical remarks, animadversion The policy had repeatedly come under strong criticism.

2. analysis, review, notice, assessment, judgment, commentary, evaluation, appreciation, appraisal, critique, elucidation Her work includes novels, poetry and literary criticism.

Translations

criticism [ˈkrɪtɪsɪzəm] n

(= fault-finding) → critiques fpl (= critical remark) → critique f
to come in for criticism → se faire critiquer

(= analysis) → critique f literary criticism

criticism

n → Kritik f; literary criticism → Literaturkritik f; to come in for a lot of criticism → schwer kritisiert werden; the decision is open to criticism → das ist eine sehr anfechtbare Entscheidung

criticism [ˈkrɪtɪsɪz/əm] n → critica

criticism → نَقْد kritika kritik Kritik κριτική crítica kritiikki critique kritika critica 批判 비평 kritiek kritikk krytyka crítica критика kritik การวิจารณ์ eleştiri sự phê phán 批评

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Aristotelian criticism critique empirio-criticism epicrisis explication de texte flak higher criticism Jungian criticism literary criticism lower criticism mythic criticism New Criticism Platonic criticism practical criticism psychoanalytical criticism purism reprimand reproof self-criticism			critical occupational specialty critical path critical path analysis critical period Critical philosophy critical point critical pressure critical region critical review critical safety item critical speed critical state critical supplies and materiel critical sustainability item critical temperature critical volume criticality critically Criticalness criticaster Criticisable Criticise Criticiser criticism Criticism, Dramatic and Literary criticisms criticize critique critter critter sitter Crius Crixivan Crizzel CRM CRNA Crna Gora CRO Cro-Magnon Cro-Magnon man Croagh Patrick croak croaker croaking croaky Croat Croatia Croatian Croato-Serb croc Crocanthemum canadense Croce			criticising criticising criticism criticism criticism criticism Criticism and Self-Criticism Criticism Is the Only Known Antidote to Error Criticism of George W. Bush Criticism of Mother Teresa Criticism of Qi gong Criticism of Qi gong Criticism of Rolling Stone Magazine Criticism of the Fed Criticism of the Fed Criticism of the Fed Criticism of the Fed Criticism of the Federal Reserve Criticism of the Federal Reserve Criticism of the Federal Reserve Criticism of the Federal Reserve Criticism of the marketplace of ideas theory Criticism of the marketplace of ideas theory Criticism of the marketplace of ideas theory Criticism of Upanishads Criticism of Upanishads Criticism of Upanishads Criticism, Dramatic and Literary Criticism, Morbid Fear of Criticism, Rejection, Assholes & Pressure criticisms Criticisms of bullfighting Criticisms of bullfighting Criticisms of bullfighting Criticisms of Mega Churches Criticisms of Mother Teresa Criticisms of Mother Theresa Criticisms of the Contempt-of-Court Power Criticisms of the Contempt-of-Court Power Criticisms of the Contempt-of-Court Power Criticisms of the Term "Judeo-Christian" Criticisms of veganism Criticisms of veganism Criticisms of women's studies criticizable criticizable criticize criticize criticize criticize criticize adversely criticize for criticize frivolously criticize severely criticize severly criticized criticized criticizer criticizer criticizers criticizers

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