connoisseur
Americannoun
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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.
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a discerning judge of the best in any field.
a connoisseur of horses.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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.
Whether you're a Lurcher lover, a Corgi connoisseur or a Eurasia enthusiast, here are some of the stand out canine-centric photos from the day's voting.
From BBC • May 7, 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
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
Short and stout, he was unprepossessing and—especially unfortunate for a connoisseur of visual art—would soon lose the use of one eye in a car accident.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025
Mal licked a finger and held it to the air, her face careful: a connoisseur of wind.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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.
