criticize

A2 Topic:Mind & Cognition

Also spelled criticise

US /ˈkɹɪtɪsaɪz/ See IPA manual

Freq #11825

Meanings

1

verb
To say what you think is wrong or bad about someone or something.

They criticized him for putting people's lives at risk.
2

verb
To judge something carefully, weighing its good and bad points.

In the class, we learned how to criticize a poem and explain our views.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to say what you think is... censure knock

2 verb · to judge something... appraise judge

More admonish animadvert bash berateberispblame blast castigate charge chastise chide

Opposites

commend compliment congratulate laud praise

Word family

Forms criticizedcriticizescriticizing

Derived forms countercriticizecriticizationcriticizercriticizinglyhypercriticizeovercriticizerecriticizeuncriticizeduncriticizing

Related forms complain critic critical criticismcriticizablecritique discipline scold

Etymology

From critic + -ize; first element from Ancient Greek κριτικός (kritikós, “of or for judging, able to discern”), from κρίσις (krísis, “decision, judgement”).

*krey- Proto-Indo-European κριτικός Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

External links

# criticize

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈkɹɪtɪsaɪz/
**Frequency rank:** 11825

## Meanings
1. To say what you think is wrong or bad about someone or something.
2. To judge something carefully, weighing its good and bad points.

## Examples
- They criticized him for putting people's lives at risk.
- In the class, we learned how to criticize a poem and explain our views.

## Synonyms
- admonish
- animadvert
- bash
- berate
- berisp
- blame
- blast
- castigate
- censure
- charge
- chastise
- chide

## Antonyms
- commend
- compliment
- congratulate
- laud
- praise

## Derived Forms
- countercriticize
- criticization
- criticizer
- criticizingly
- hypercriticize
- overcriticize
- recriticize
- uncriticized
- uncriticizing

## Related Forms
- complain
- critic
- critical
- criticism
- criticizable
- critique
- discipline
- scold

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *krey-
- Root: κριτικός
- Affix: -ize - to make

## Etymology
From critic + -ize; first element from Ancient Greek κριτικός (kritikós, “of or for judging, able to discern”), from κρίσις (krísis, “decision, judgement”).

## AI Etymology
criticize comes from critic + -ize; first element from Ancient Greek κριτικός (kritikós, “of or for judging, able to discern”), from κρίσις (krísis, “decision, judgement”). The historical chain includes Proto-Indo-European *krey-, Ancient Greek κριτικός. Current senses include to say what you think is wrong or bad about someone or something and to judge something carefully, weighing its good and bad points. English relatives and later formations include countercriticize, criticization, criticizer, complain, critic.

## Topics
- Mind & Cognition

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criticize

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