v., -cized, -ciz·ing, -ciz·es. v.tr.
- To find fault with: criticized the decision as unrealistic. See Usage Note at critique.
- To judge the merits and faults of; analyze and evaluate.
To act as a critic.
criticizable crit'i·ciz'a·ble adj.
criticizer crit'i·ciz'er n.
SYNONYMS criticize, blame, reprehend, censure, condemn, denounce. These verbs mean to express an unfavorable judgment. Criticize can mean merely to evaluate without necessarily finding fault; however, usually the word implies the expression of disapproval: The review criticized the novel. Blame emphasizes the finding of fault and the fixing of responsibility: "People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are" (George Bernard Shaw). Reprehend implies sharp disapproval: "reprehends students who have protested apartheid" (New York Times). Censure refers to open and strong expression of criticism; often it implies a formal reprimand: "No man can justly censure or condemn another, because indeed no man truly knows another" (Thomas Browne). Condemn denotes the pronouncement of harshly adverse judgment: "The wrongs which we seek to condemn and punish have been so calculated, so malignant and so devastating that civilization cannot tolerate their being ignored because it cannot survive their being repeated" (Robert H. Jackson). Denounce implies public proclamation of condemnation or repudiation: The press denounces the new taxation policies.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
