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wave of criticism

wave of criticism

1 3.3
A sudden large amount of criticism aimed at someone or something
  • noun
translation icon : ola de críticas
  • A wave of criticism from the Catholic Church was evoked by the European Parliament resolution favoring conjugal and adoption rights for homosexuals.
  • faced a wave of criticism
  • a new wave of criticism
  • a tidal wave of criticism

Examples

  • When the new policy was announced, it ignited a wave of criticism from the public.

  • Would programs that demonstrated that their graduates were able to make a positive difference in the learning of children and youth have been able to withstand the successive waves of criticism that have battered America?

    Academic text (2005)
  • As a result, the other important issues Benedict came to address were lost in the wave of criticism after the pope's address.

    Blog text (28)
  • Perhaps foreseeing the forthcoming wave of criticism regarding his reading of legislative intent as focused on consumer welfare, Bork acknowledged that the goals of antitrust policy are not "determined entirely by the intentions of Congress" and proposed an "equally important... independent, and usually overlooked... factor: the responsibility of the courts for the integrity of the law and the lawmaking process."

    Academic text (2010)
  • The politician faced a wave of criticism after his controversial speech at the rally.

  • The charity organization received a wave of criticism for its handling of donations during the crisis.

Synonyms

backlash
vswave of criticism
  • Literature
106 4.8

A strong negative public reaction to an action or change

is specifically a sudden large amount of criticism rather than a general reaction
firestorm
vswave of criticism
  • Literature
36 6.5

A sudden, strong public reaction of anger or criticism

is limited to a sudden large amount of criticism rather than broad public anger
heavy flak
vswave of criticism
  • Informal
1 6.5

Strong public criticism of a person or action

is about a sudden large amount rather than general directed criticism
shower of shit
vswave of criticism
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A sudden strong burst of harsh criticism from many people

is the neutral not vulgar way to describe that outpouring
flood of complaints
vswave of criticism
3.8

A large number of complaints arriving at the same time

is about sudden large criticism rather than formal recorded complaints
virulent backlash
vswave of criticism
  • Literature
8.1

A very strong angry reaction by many people against someone or something

is less about extreme hostility and more about sudden large quantity of criticism
heavy backlash
vswave of criticism
4.2

A strong negative reaction from many people after a decision or action

is a sudden large outpouring rather than a reaction that simply follows events

How Much Criticism

wave of criticism
1 3.3
criticism
512 3.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

wave + of + criticism

The meaning 'a sudden large amount of criticism' is compositionally built from 'wave' (a surge or period of activity) + 'of' + 'criticism', so a learner who knows these words can infer a surge of critical comments. The 'wave of X' pattern is common across languages and frequent in English, making the construction immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Wave of criticism comes from the image of a large sea wave rushing in and hitting the shore. Many voices of criticism arrive all at once, so the phrase means 'a sudden large amount of criticism'.