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
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.
The thief, Dr Hale said, was Leonard Gerald Gwynne Ramsey, the editor of the journal The Connoisseur, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2025
Running Connoisseur, says it’s the camaraderie that drew her to the club for what will be her second run this morning.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 20, 2023
Society’s Facebook page — which includes photos of Miskiri playing in games or posing in crisp suits — bills him as “Former NBA Basketball Player To Restaurant Connoisseur & Philanthropist.”
From Washington Post • Apr. 25, 2015
And David Maddalena, founder of high-end local magazine the Hemp Connoisseur, says every Denver hotel he’s talked to, other than the Ritz-Carlton, has been eager to stock copies of his publication at their concierge desks.
From Slate • Jan. 9, 2014
He glanced up innocently from the pages of Wine Connoisseur magazine.
From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan
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.
