criticize

English

Alternative forms

• criticise (UK)

Etymology

From 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

Derived terms

• countercriticize
• criticization
• criticizer
• criticizingly
• hypercriticize
• overcriticize
• recriticize
• uncriticized
• uncriticizing

 

Related terms

• critic
• critical
• criticism
• criticizable
• critique

 

Translations

to find fault

• Arabic: اِنْتَقَدَ (intaqada)
• Armenian: քննադատել (hy) (kʻnnadatel)
• Asturian: criticar, escizañar, esmolleyar, espelleyar, espotrexar, reborgar
• Belarusian: крытыкава́ць impf (krytykavácʹ)
• Bulgarian: критикувам (bg) (kritikuvam)
• Catalan: criticar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 批評／批评 (pai¹ ping⁴)

  Mandarin: 批評／批评 (zh) (pīpíng)

• Czech: kritizovat (cs)
• Dutch: kritiseren (nl), bekritiseren (nl), afkeuren (nl), hekelen (nl)
• Esperanto: kritiki (eo)
• Estonian: arvustama
• Finnish: kritisoida (fi), arvostella (fi), moittia (fi)
• French: critiquer (fr)
• Georgian: გაკრიტიკება (gaḳriṭiḳeba), გაკიცხვა (gaḳicxva)
• German: kritisieren (de), Kritik üben
• Greek: επικρίνω (el) (epikríno), ασκώ κριτική (askó kritikí)
• Hebrew: ביקר (he) (bikér)
• Hungarian: kritizál (hu), bírál (hu), megró (hu)
• Icelandic: setja út á, gagnrýna (is)
• Ido: kritikar (io)
• Indonesian: mengiktirad, mengkritik (id)
• Ingrian: narria, moittia
• Interlingua: criticar
• Irish: cáin (ga), beachtaigh ar
• Italian: criticare (it)
• Japanese: 批判する (ja) (ひはんする, hihan-suru), 非難する (ja) (ひなんする, hinan-suru)
• Khmer: រិះគន់ (rih kŭən)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: ڕەخنە گرتن (rexne girtin)

• Lao: ຕິ (ti)
• Maori: whakatōngā, whakakoha
• Norman: crititchi (Jersey)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kritisere

• Occitan: criticar (oc)
• Persian: عیبجویی کردن ('eybjuyi kardan)
• Polish: krytykować (pl)
• Portuguese: criticar (pt), culpar (pt)
• Romanian: critica (ro)
• Russian: критикова́ть (ru) impf (kritikovátʹ), раскритикова́ть (ru) pf (raskritikovátʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: càin, cronaich, troid
• Slovak: kritizovať
• Spanish: criticar (es), culpar (es)
• Swedish: kritisera (sv)
• Thai: ติ (th) (dtì)
• Tibetan: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: eleştirmek (tr), tenkit etmek (tr)
• Tày: bè bẹo
• Ukrainian: критикува́ти impf (krytykuváty)
• Vietnamese: chỉ trích (vi)
• Welsh: beirniadu (cy)
• Yiddish: קריטיקירן (kritikirn)

to evaluate

• Arabic: نَقَدَ (naqada)
• Armenian: քննադատել (hy) (kʻnnadatel)
• Asturian: criticar, xulgar
• Bulgarian: оценявам (bg) (ocenjavam)
• Catalan: criticar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 批評／批评 (zh) (pīpíng)

• Dutch: kritiseren (nl), bekritiseren (nl), beoordelen (nl)
• Estonian: arvustama
• Finnish: arvostella (fi), arvioida (fi)
• Galician: criticar (gl)
• Georgian: გაკიცხვა (gaḳicxva), გაკრიტიკება (gaḳriṭiḳeba)
• German: abwägen (de)
• Greek: αξιολογώ (el) (axiologó), κρίνω (el) (kríno)
• Hebrew: ביקר (he) (bikér)
• Hungarian: elbírál (hu), bírál (hu), értékel (hu), minősít (hu)
• Icelandic: gagnrýna (is)
• Indonesian: mengkritik (id)
• Interlingua: criticar
• Irish: cáin (ga), beachtaigh ar
• Italian: criticare (it), giudicare (it), valutare (it)
• Japanese: 批評する (ja) (ひひょうする, hihyō-suru)
• Maori: arohaehae
• Norwegian: kritisere
• Occitan: criticar (oc)
• Polish: oceniać (pl)
• Portuguese: criticar (pt), avaliar (pt)
• Romanian: critica (ro)
• Russian: критикова́ть (ru) impf (kritikovátʹ), раскритикова́ть (ru) pf (raskritikovátʹ)
• Slovak: hodnotiť, posudzovať, recenzovať
• Spanish: criticar (es), juzgar (es)
• Swedish: kritisera (sv)
• Turkish: değerlendirmek (tr), değer biçmek (tr), ölçüp tartmak
• Welsh: beirniadu (cy)
• Yiddish: קריטיקירן (kritikirn)

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.