n. 1. 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; as, dramatic criticism. [ 1913 Webster ]

The elements ofcriticism depend on the two principles of Beauty and Truth, one of which is the final end or object of study in every one of its pursuits: Beauty, in letters and the arts; Truth, in history and sciences. Brande & C. [ 1913 Webster ]

By criticism, as it was first instituted by Aristotle, was meant a standard of judging well. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The act of criticising; a critical judgment passed or expressed; a critical observation or detailed examination and review; a critique; animadversion; censure. [ 1913 Webster ]

About the plan of “Rasselas” little was said by the critics; and yet the faults of the plan might seem to invite severe criticism. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

. Criticism which includes the study of the contents, literary character, date, authorship, etc., of any writing; as, the higher criticism of the Pentateuch. Called also historical criticism.

The comparison of the Hebrew and Greek texts . . . introduces us to a series of questions affecting the composition, the editing, and the collection of the sacred books. This class of questions forms the special subject of the branch of critical science which is usually distinguished from the verbal criticism of the text by the name of higher, or historical, criticism. W. Robertson Smith. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. Excessive criticism, or unjust severity or rigor of criticism; zoilism. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Neo- + classicism. ] The form of Neo-Kantianism developed by French idealists, following C. Renouvier. It rejects the noumena of Kant, restricting knowledge to phenomena as constituted by a priori categories. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

{ } n. The art of interpreting dreams. [ 1913 Webster ]