Academic / C1

kry-TEERR-ee-uh/kraɪˈtɪəriə/

Criteria are the standards you use to judge something. The word is already plural; the singular is criterion. Native academic writers never write “a criteria” or “this criteria.” Marks, rules, and requirements can be informal substitutes, but criteria is the exact word for a set of tests something must meet.

Meaning

The standards you use to judge something.

Examples

• “What are the criteria for a good essay?”
• “One criterion is originality; the other criteria are clarity and evidence.”
• “The shortlist was drawn up against published criteria.”

Good to know

Plural: criteria. Singular: criterion. Not “a criteria.”

Near in meaning

standards

Topics

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