Attack
Attack verb - To criticize harshly and usually publicly.
Usage example: the mayor and all his aides were attacked mercilessly in the press when the scandal erupted
Criticize is a synonym for attack in speech topic. In some cases you can use "Criticize" instead a verb "Attack", when it comes to topics like criticise, assault verbally. popular alternative
Criticize
Criticize verb - To express one's unfavorable opinion of the worth or quality of.
Usage example: people who criticize every single idea that the principal has for improving the school
Attack is a synonym for criticize in criticise topic. You can use "Attack" instead a verb "Criticize", if it concerns topics such as find fault with. popular alternative
Mutual synonyms
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
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Several musicians went to the hearings to criticize and attack these matters, including Zappa, John Denver, Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys) and Dee Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), because they felt it was a violation of the freedom of speech.
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Thailand actively bans written works that criticize the Thai royal family, and under Thai law, authors who attack the Thai king are subject to imprisonment.
Source: Banned in China - Phoebe can date two men at once and the other characters don't criticize her (though one of the men dumped her when he found out) but when Phoebe's boyfriend is overheard having sex with someone else the men rush upstairs to violently attack him with the women's full support.
Source: Protagonist-Centered Morality
Cite this Source
Criticize and Attack. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 14, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/attack/criticize
Attack & Criticize. N.p., 2016. Web. 14 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/attack/criticize>.
Criticize or Attack. 2016. Accessed August 14, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/attack/criticize.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "attack" and "criticize" have occurred on timeline