critic

American  

[krit-ik] / ˈkrɪt ɪk /

noun

1. a person who judges, evaluates, or criticizes.

   a poor critic of men.

2. a person who judges, evaluates, or analyzes literary or artistic works, dramatic or musical performances, or the like, especially for a newspaper or magazine.

   Synonyms:

   judge, reviewer

3. a person who tends too readily to make captious, trivial, or harsh judgments; faultfinder.

   Synonyms:

   carper, censurer

4. Archaic.

   1. criticism.

   2. critique.

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critic British  

/ ˈkrɪtɪk /

noun

1. a person who judges something

2. a professional judge of art, music, literature, etc

3. a person who often finds fault and criticizes

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• supercritic
  noun

Etymology

Origin of critic

1575–85; < Latin criticus < Greek kritikós skilled in judging (adj.), critic (noun), equivalent to krī́t ( ēs ) judge, umpire ( krī́ ( nein ) to separate, decide + -tēs agent suffix) + -ikos -ic

Explanation

A critic is someone who finds fault with something and expresses an unfavorable opinion. You might be a critic of your school’s new plan to start the school day at 6:30 a.m. The word critic came into English by way of Latin, tracing back to the Greek word krinein, meaning “judge, decide.” If you’re a critic, you’re essentially judging something — and finding it lacking. Critic can be used broadly to describe any person expressing an unfavorable view, but there are professional critics as well, such as people who review movies or music. In that sense, the word describes someone who thoughtfully assesses something, either favorably or negatively.

Example Sentences

Hydee Feldstein Soto, a longtime critic of Venice Dell who lost her bid for reelection last week, did not return an email asking if the city would appeal.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

The 42-year-old emerged as a vocal critic of Bass in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire, which destroyed his home.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

Or is it simply about “trauma and the mysterious workings of the unconscious,” as New York Times critic Beatrice Loayza says?

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2026

Our critic said that in it influencer culture “is satirized with savage wit.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

One critic praised “Miss Anderson’s power to move her listeners as can no other singer of her generation.”

From "The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights" by Russell Freedman

Related Words

• authority
• cartoonist
• commentator
• expert
• judge
• pundit
• reviewer