Criticism

Criticism is the construction of a judgement about the negative or positive qualities of someone or something. Criticism can range from impromptu comments to a written detailed response. Criticism falls into several overlapping types including "theoretical, practical, impressionistic, affective, prescriptive, or descriptive".

Criticism may also refer to an expression of disapproval of someone or something. When criticism of this nature is constructive, it can make an individual aware of gaps in their understanding and it can provide distinct routes for improvement. Research supports the notion that using feedback and constructive criticism in the learning process is very influential.

In French, German, or Italian, no distinction is drawn between the terms critique and criticism. The two words both translate as ''critique'', ''Kritik'', and ''critica'', respectively. In the English language, philosopher Gianni Vattimo suggests that "criticism" is used more frequently to denote literary criticism or art criticism while "critique" refers to more general writing such as Immanuel Kant's ''Critique of Pure Reason''. Another distinction that is sometimes made is that "critique" is never personalized nor ''ad hominem'' and is presented in a way that encourages rebuttal or expansion of the ideas expressed. Nonetheless, the distinctions are subtle and ambiguous at best.

The term "brickbat" is sometimes used to mean "an unfavourable criticism, unkind remark or sharp put-down". The term originated in the 17th century, derived from the practice of throwing bricks as projectiles at a person who was disapproved of.

In some contexts, such as literary criticism and art criticism, the word "criticism" is used as a neutral word that is synonymous with "evaluation." Provided by Wikipedia