1the expression of disapproval of someone or something on the basis of perceived faults or mistakes:he received a lot of criticism [count noun]:he ignored the criticisms of his friends
2the analysis and judgement of the merits and faults of a literary or artistic work:alternative methods of criticism supported by well-developed literary theories
the scholarly investigation of literary or historical texts to determine their origin or intended form.
Origin:
early 17th century: from critic or Latin criticus+ -ism
criticism in other Oxford dictionaries
Definition of criticism in the US English dictionary
