connoisseur
Americannoun
-
a person who is especially competent to pass critical judgments in an art, particularly one of the fine arts, or in matters of taste.
a connoisseur of modern art.
-
a discerning judge of the best in any field.
a connoisseur of horses.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of connoisseur
First recorded in 1705–15; from French; Old French conoiseor, from Latin cognōscitōr- (stem of cognōscitor ) “knower”; see cognoscible, -tor
Explanation
A connoisseur is a person who, through study and interest, has a fine appreciation for something, like the connoisseur who can identify the clarinet player on a jazz recording by the sound of his inhalations alone. A connoisseur is an authority in his field, someone who has expert knowledge and training, especially in the arts. A connoisseur may also be someone with an extremely developed sense of taste, like the connoisseur who can identify rare wine by a flavor others can't even detect. Then again, some people call themselves connoisseurs of just about anything they like — pizza, old vinyl albums, even cartoons — because they know so much about it.
Vocabulary lists containing connoisseur
In the Know: Cogn, Conn
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Treasure Island
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The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
As far as horror films go, writer-director Ian Tuason’s debut feature “Undertone” has just about everything a genre connoisseur could ever want, all rolled into one.
From Salon ● Mar. 15, 2026
Lillian Disney, a connoisseur of flowers, would die before the hall was finished, but its hidden rear garden is centered around the “Rose for Lilly” fountain, composed of thousands of broken blue-and-white Delft china pieces.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2025
Phillips said a 1518 was the sort of watch that once acquired, "a connoisseur can feel to have reached the utmost peak of collecting".
From Barron's ● Nov. 9, 2025
In 1996, for example, she was billed as a "chat-up connoisseur" during a dating segment on Good Morning with Anne and Nick.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2025
Denied admission to Harvard and Yale and the “right” beginning, he had become a self-conscious connoisseur of fine things.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Watch prices that are up double digits from last year thanks to connoisseurs bidding them up.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 13, 2026
But in the coterie world of theater connoisseurs, Mays has earned a place among acting immortals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026
As an international water judge, Pieterse blind‑tastes more than 100 still and 100 sparkling waters at an annual fine water summit that draws connoisseurs from around the world.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
But true connoisseurs will have looked to the Gabba, for the finest vintage in the state was at the crease for Australia.
From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2025
It later fell out of favor and was known only to some jazz connoisseurs.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
