Antonyms of verb criticize

1 of 2 senses of criticize

Sense 1
knock, criticize, criticise, pick apart -- (find fault with; express criticism of; point out real or perceived flaws; "The paper criticized the new movie"; "Don't knock the food--it's free")
       Antonym of praise (Sense 1)
      => praise -- (express approval of; "The parents praised their children for their academic performance")

Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb criticize

2 senses of criticize

Sense 1
knock, criticize, criticise, pick apart -- (find fault with; express criticism of; point out real or perceived flaws; "The paper criticized the new movie"; "Don't knock the food--it's free")
       => comment, notice, remark, point out -- (make or write a comment on; "he commented the paper of his colleague")

Sense 2
criticize, criticise -- (act as a critic; "Those who criticize others often are not perfect, either")
       => act -- (discharge one's duties; "She acts as the chair"; "In what capacity are you acting?")