To criticize means to point out what's wrong or could be better in someone's work, behavior, or ideas. When your teacher criticizes your essay, she might note that your introduction needs a clearer thesis statement, or that you jumped between ideas too quickly. When a coach criticizes a player's technique, he's explaining what needs improvement so the athlete can get better.

Criticism can be constructive or destructive. Constructive criticism helps you improve by offering specific, useful feedback: “Your presentation had great research, but you spoke too quietly for people in the back to hear.” Destructive criticism just tears something down without being helpful: “That presentation was terrible.”

A critic is someone whose job involves evaluating things like books, movies, or restaurants. When critics review a new film, they analyze both its strengths and weaknesses, explaining what works and what doesn't.

Being able to accept criticism gracefully is an important skill. Nobody likes hearing that they made mistakes, but criticism often contains valuable information that can make you better at whatever you're doing. The tricky part is learning to listen for useful feedback even when criticism feels uncomfortable, and distinguishing helpful criticism from someone just being mean.