wave of criticism
- noun
- 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
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When the new policy was announced, it ignited a wave of criticism from the public.
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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.
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The charity organization received a wave of criticism for its handling of donations during the crisis.
Synonyms
A strong negative public reaction to an action or change
A sudden, strong public reaction of anger or criticism
Strong public criticism of a person or action
A sudden strong burst of harsh criticism from many people
A large number of complaints arriving at the same time
A very strong angry reaction by many people against someone or something
A strong negative reaction from many people after a decision or action
How Much Criticism
Surface Forms
Morphology
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'.