criticism

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. The act of criticizing, especially adversely.
2. n. A critical comment or judgment.
3. n. The practice of analyzing, classifying, interpreting, or evaluating literary or other artistic works.
4. n. A critical article or essay; a critique.
5. n. The investigation of the origin and history of literary documents; textual criticism.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The art of judging of and defining the qualities or merits of a thing, especially of a literary or artistic work: as, the rules of criticism.
2. n. The act of criticizing; discrimination or discussion of merit, character, or quality; the exercise or application of critical judgment.
3. n. In a restricted sense, inquiry into the origin, history, authenticity, character, etc., of literary documents. Higher criticism concerns writings as a whole; lower criticism concerns the integrity or character of particular parts or passages.
4. n. A critical judgment; especially, a detailed critical examination or disquisition; a critique.
5. n. The critical or Kantian philosophy (which see, under critical).

Wiktionary

1. n. The act of criticising; a critical judgment passed or expressed; a critical observation or detailed examination and review; a critique; animadversion; censure.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The rules and principles which regulate the practice of the critic; the art of judging with knowledge and propriety of the beauties and faults of a literary performance, or of a production in the fine arts.
2. n. The act of criticising; a critical judgment passed or expressed; a critical observation or detailed examination and review; a critique; animadversion; censure.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a written evaluation of a work of literature
2. n. disapproval expressed by pointing out faults or shortcomings
3. n. a serious examination and judgment of something