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

However, much of the Caballero family’s performance lore begins with Isabel’s son, 82-year-old Rubén: an apparatus connoisseur well-versed in the high wire, trapeze and hand balancing.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

She said: "Record shops of the world will know first-hand that above all, Robert Plant is a connoisseur of his craft whose appetite for musical discoveries has not waned with the passage of time."

From BBC ● Apr. 9, 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

There was rhythm that could be established with top-button clocks, and Fischer had become a connoisseur of that kind of clock.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

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

If nothing else, the galleries of the Lucas Museum appear designed specifically to make certain critics and connoisseurs roar.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Because in between minding the net for Team USA, Frankel, 27, has quickly emerged as one of the foremost connoisseurs of the dish.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 13, 2026

“She was thought to be unique. Fairy connoisseurs travel from all corners of the globe to behold her.”

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

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Related Words

• aficionado
• buff
• devotee
• dilettante

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