criticise

Everyday

1. To say what you think is bad or wrong about someone or something. tree →
2. To judge the good and bad points of a book, film or work (to review it). tree →

In the lessons

In school: give helpful feedback rather than unkind criticism; criticise ideas, not people. In formal exam voice: «Criticise the argument». In news: people criticise the government. Phrases: be criticised for, constructive criticism.

Examples

• The coach criticised the team for being late. tree →
• Don't criticise your friend's drawing; help instead. tree →
• The new road was criticised by local people. tree →
• Critics criticised the film for being too long. tree →
• It's easy to criticise but hard to do better. tree →
• We learned to criticise arguments, not the person. tree →

Note

UK spelling -ise, US -ize. Noun: criticism; person: critic; adjective: critical. Criticise is followed by «for»: criticised for being late.