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

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

connoisseur connoisseurs

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

“I became a bit of a connoisseur of bob runs,” said John Eaves, a world-champion freestyle skier.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 8, 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

Jake sniffed the air the way a sophisticated connoisseur might.

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein

Watch prices that are up double digits from last year thanks to connoisseurs bidding them up.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 13, 2026

New York pizza may be the gold standard for connoisseurs, but Iowan pizza packs a profit punch.

From Barron's ● May 14, 2026

"A lot of the victims are skiers who come here often, are technically skilled, but aren't necessarily connoisseurs of the mountain environment," suggests Stéphane Bornet, the director of Anena, a French snow safety association.

From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026

All would be well for the heroic striver but for the insolent judgments of “editors, curators, connoisseurs, critics, bosses, talent agents, reviewers, etc.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026

They never had seen the feather-lightness that she gave to Undying, a completely fresh style—and they were connoisseurs of styles.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

Related Words

• aficionado
• buff
• devotee
• dilettante