Praise and criticism – English vocabulary
34 words · English vocabulary · Created by OpenQuiz Team
34 English words with meanings: fault-finding, feedback, find fault, forgive and forget, gripe… Study them with flashcards, quizzes and AI speaking practice…
Part of the learning path: Vocabulary in Daily Life - Advance
Word list
- fault-finding /'fɔ:lt ,faɪndɪŋ/ (noun) — The habit of looking for small mistakes in others.
Example:His fault-finding upset the team.
Synonyms: nitpicking, criticism, fault-finding - feedback /'fi:dbæk/ (noun) — advice or comments that tell you how well you did
Example:Your teacher gave you helpful feedback.
Synonyms: comments, advice, response - find fault /faɪnd fɔ:lt/ (phrase) — To criticize someone or something for small mistakes.
Example:She always finds fault with my work.
Synonyms: criticize, nitpick, pick on - forgive and forget /fər,ɡɪv ənd fə'ɡɛt/ (phrase) — to stop being angry about a wrong and put it behind you
Example:They decided to forgive and forget.
Synonyms: let go, move on, bury the hatchet - gripe /ɡraɪp/ (verb) — To complain in an annoying, repeated way.
Example:He gripes about the food every day.
Synonyms: complain, moan, grouse - grouse /ɡraʊs/ (verb) — To complain in a bad-tempered, grumpy way.
Example:They groused about the long wait.
Synonyms: complain, grumble, moan - grumble /'ɡrʌmbəl/ (verb) — To complain quietly and continuously.
Example:She grumbled about the cold weather.
Synonyms: mutter, complain, grouse - hail of abuse /heɪl əv ə'bju:s/ (phrase) — a large number of angry spoken attacks
Example:He left in a hail of abuse.
Synonyms: tirade, verbal attack, insults - hatred /'heɪtrɪd/ (noun) — a very strong feeling of dislike or anger
Example:There was hatred in his voice.
Synonyms: loathing, detestation, animosity - hit the roof /hɪt ðə ru:f/ (idiom) — to become very angry
Example:She hit the roof when she saw the bill.
Synonyms: get very angry, lose one's temper, blow up - home truth /hoʊm tru:θ/ (phrase) — an unpleasant but honest fact about yourself or your situation
Example:She finally heard a hard home truth.
Synonyms: hard truth, unpleasant fact, blunt reality - implacable /ɪm'plækəbəl/ (adjective) — not willing to forgive or change your anger
Example:She remained implacable after the argument.
Synonyms: unyielding, unforgiving, relentless - It just won’t do! /ɪt dʒʌst woʊnt du:/ (phrase) — This is not good enough and cannot be accepted.
Example:This mess just won't do!
Synonyms: is unacceptable, is not good enough, won't work - I’ve just about had enough of /aɪv dʒʌst ə'baʊt hæd ɪ'nʌf əv/ (phrase) — I am very close to losing patience with it.
Example:I've just about had enough of this delay.
Synonyms: I'm fed up with, I've had it with, I can't take any more - overrated /,oʊvər'reɪtɪd/ (adjective) — thought to be better or more important than it really is
Example:The show is overrated.
Synonyms: overpraised, overhyped, overestimated - praiseworthy /'preɪzwɜ:rði/ (adjective) — deserving praise because of good qualities or actions
Example:Her praiseworthy work helped many people.
Synonyms: commendable, admirable, laudable - put somebody/something in the shade (phrase) — To be much better or more impressive than someone or something else.
Example:Her new book puts the others in the shade.
Synonyms: outshine, surpass, overshadow - reputation /,rɛpjə'teɪʃən/ (noun) — the opinion people have about someone or something
Example:The company has a strong reputation.
Synonyms: standing, image, good name - respect /rɪ'spɛkt/ (noun) — deep admiration for someone or something
Example:I have great respect for my teacher.
Synonyms: admiration, esteem, regard - ridiculous /rɪ'dɪkjələs/ (adjective) — so silly or unreasonable that it seems laughable
Example:That was a ridiculous mistake.
Synonyms: absurd, ludicrous, silly - shower praise on /'ʃaʊər preɪz ɑ:n/ (phrase) — to praise someone or something a lot
Example:The review showered praise on the new restaurant.
Synonyms: heap praise on, extol, commend - sing someone’s/something’s praises /sɪŋ 'sʌmwʌnz 'preɪzɪz/ (phrase) — to speak very positively about someone or something
Example:She sang her teacher’s praises after the lesson.
Synonyms: extol, commend, rave about - slate (v.) /sleɪt/ (verb) — to criticize or reject someone or something strongly
Example:Critics slated the film for its weak plot.
Synonyms: criticize, condemn, reject - sniff at something /snɪft æt 'sʌmθɪŋ/ (phrase) — to show dislike for something by acting as if it is not good enough
Example:He sniffed at the idea of taking the bus.
Synonyms: look down on, dismiss, scorn - take something as a compliment /teɪk 'sʌmθɪŋ æz ə 'kɒmplɪmənt/ (phrase) — to accept something as praise rather than an insult
Example:I decided to take it as a compliment.
Synonyms: accept it graciously, see it as praise, take it positively - thunderous applause /'θʌndərəs ə'plɔ:z/ (phrase) — very loud clapping from a crowd
Example:The speaker received thunderous applause.
Synonyms: roaring applause, loud applause, enthusiastic applause - tongue-in-cheek /,tʌŋ ɪn 'tʃi:k/ (idiom) — said or done as a joke, not meant seriously
Example:He made a tongue-in-cheek comment about his cooking.
Synonyms: joking, ironic, sarcastic - underscore /,ʌndər'skɔ:r/ (verb) — to stress something strongly
Example:The teacher underscored the importance of honesty.
Synonyms: emphasize, stress, highlight - unstinting /ʌn'stɪntɪŋ/ (adjective) — given freely and in large amounts
Example:She gave unstinting support to the team.
Synonyms: generous, lavish, abundant - unsurpassed /,ʌnsər'pæst/ (adjective) — better than all others
Example:Her performance was unsurpassed in the competition.
Synonyms: unmatched, unequalled, superior
…and 4 more words in this set.
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