Vocapedia
Log inTry for Free
Log in

Looking up...

Words

  • Words of the Year
  • Recent Lookups
  • My Dictionary

Languages

  • English
  • Vietnamese
  • Japanese
  • Chinese
  • Spanish
  • French
  • Korean
  • German

Features

  • Words of the Year
  • My Collections List
  • Reviews
  • Learning Resources
  • Community Collections

Learn

  • How It Works
  • Study Guides
  • Language Tips
  • FAQ
  • Getting Started
  • For Individuals
  • For Teachers

Community

  • Forum
  • Blog
  • Help Center
  • Partnerships

About

  • About Vocapedia
  • Contact Us
  • Feedback

Legal

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility
  • GDPR Compliance
© 2026 Vocapedia. All rights reserved.

feedback

/ˈfiːdbæk/
noun★Intermediate— information about performance
formal

Information about reactions to a product, a person's performance of a task, etc. which is used as a basis for improvement.

The company collects customer feedback to improve its services.

The company gathers opinions from customers to enhance its offerings.

She received positive feedback on her presentation.

Her presentation was praised by the audience.

💡

Feedback is often used in professional, educational, and product development contexts.

⚙️Engineering
technical

The return of a fraction of the output of a process or system to the input, especially when used to maintain performance or to control a system or process.

The system uses feedback to regulate its temperature.

The system adjusts its temperature based on feedback loops.

💡

In engineering, feedback refers to the process where a portion of the output is returned to the input to influence the system's behavior.

Collocations

constructive feedbackfeedback that is helpful and intended to improve performanceimmediate feedbackfeedback given right after an action or eventprovide feedbackto give comments or reactions about something

Synonyms

inputresponsereactioncritiqueevaluation

Antonyms

silenceignoringneglect

💡Pro Tip

Use 'feedback' instead of 'criticism'

While 'criticism' often implies negativity, 'feedback' can be neutral or positive. Use 'feedback' to focus on improvement rather than fault-finding.

⚡Gold Rule

Feedback should be specific and actionable

Vague feedback like 'It was good' is less helpful than 'Your introduction clearly stated the main points.'

📖Word Origin

First recorded in 1920–25; from the phrase 'feedback loop,' where 'feed' means to supply and 'back' refers to the return of output to input. Originally used in electrical engineering to describe the return of a portion of the output signal to the input.

📝Usage Notes

Feedback is commonly used in professional settings, such as workplaces, education, and product development. It can be positive or negative but is often intended to be constructive. In informal contexts, 'feedback' may also refer to criticism or complaints.

Word Breakdown

feed
to supply or provide
root
+
back
in return or in response
root
English Dictionary

Learning Progress

Track your learning journey!

• Save words to build your vocabulary

• Monitor your daily streak

• Get personalized review reminders

• See words learned statistics

Log in to access advanced features and track your progress!

Go to Dashboard →

Recent Lookups

The most recent words being looked up. Stay up to date with what language learners are exploring.