connoisseur

American  

[kon-uh-sur, -soor] / ˌkɒn əˈsɜr, -ˈsʊər /

noun

• connoisseurs
  plural

1. 

   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.

2. a discerning judge of the best in any field.

   a connoisseur of horses.

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connoisseur British  

/ ˌkɒnɪˈsɜː /

noun

1. a person with special knowledge or appreciation of a field, esp in the arts

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• connoisseurship
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• connoisseurs
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of connoisseur

First recorded in 1705–15; from French; Old French conoiseor, from Latin cognōscitōr- (stem of cognōscitor ) “knower”; see cognoscible, -tor

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

connoisseur connoisseurs

And, if you’re a gamer but not a horror connoisseur, Nadira Goffe helpfully breaks down whether Resident Evil will be too scary for you, using Slate’s highly scientific Scaredy Scale.

From Slate ● Sep. 21, 2026

A connoisseur of the craft, he’s logged more than 1,500 distinct varieties of beer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

If it does get too cold, don't worry - your body heat will help bring it up, says wine connoisseur Filippo Bartolotta.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

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

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

While the neighborhood used to be renowned for flannel-clad IPA connoisseurs and a thriving indie art scene, the 2010s-era hipsters who sparked the Hasidim vs.

From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026

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

Among mountaineers and other connoisseurs of geologic form, Everest is not regarded as a particularly comely peak.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

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Related Words

• aficionado
• buff
• devotee
• dilettante

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