Critical Of: Standard Pattern
Critical Of: Standard Pattern records a directly documented English construction and keeps guidance bounded to the evidenced pattern rather than turning one attested complement into a universal prohibition.
Use “critical of” before the person, decision, standard, or thing being judged negatively.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| a person, action, decision, or standard is judged negatively | critical of + noun/pronoun | Use the documented “of” pattern. |
| “critical” means essential or decisive | critical to/for + outcome | That is a different sense and construction. |
| “critical” means involving careful analysis | critical + noun | No “of” complement is required merely because the adjective appears. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Does “critical” mean expressing disapproval of what follows?
If yes: Use “critical of.”
If no: Check whether “critical” instead means essential or analytical.
Caveat: This page is limited to the disapproving sense that directly takes “of”; other senses of “critical” use other patterns.
Examples
The review was critical of the new policy.
The object of the negative judgment follows “of.”
She was critical of the decision.
The decision is what she judged negatively.
Accurate timing is critical to the process.
This uses the separate “essential” sense.
Further guidance
Construction
Use “critical of” before the person, decision, standard, or thing being judged negatively.
Style Boundary
Cambridge documents several senses of “critical”; this guide is limited to the disapproving sense that directly takes “of”.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Critical — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct learner-dictionary evidence for “critical of” when expressing disapproval or a negative judgment.