animadversion.

Criticism expressing disapproval, or a particular remark that points out someone's faults.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• animadversions on a policy
• subject to animadversion
• sharp animadversion

On the page

His animadversions on the committee's secrecy occupied half the letter.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated prose. Lexical Type: Word. Forms: Countable or uncountable by context; countable singular animadversion; plural animadversions. Commonness: uncommon (editorial estimate; not a corpus frequency statistic). Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1; numbered fields keep each relevant meaning separate. Research distinction: Cambridge formal count/uncountable criticism or critical remark; on/upon introduces its object. Writing functions: nuance, characterization.