critic

American  

[krit-ik] / ˈkrɪt ɪk /

noun

1. a person who judges, evaluates, or criticizes.

   a poor critic of men.

2. a person who judges, evaluates, or analyzes literary or artistic works, dramatic or musical performances, or the like, especially for a newspaper or magazine.

   Synonyms:

   judge, reviewer

3. a person who tends too readily to make captious, trivial, or harsh judgments; faultfinder.

   Synonyms:

   carper, censurer

4. Archaic.

   1. criticism.

   2. critique.

---

critic British  

/ ˈkrɪtɪk /

noun

1. a person who judges something

2. a professional judge of art, music, literature, etc

3. a person who often finds fault and criticizes

---

Other Word Forms

• supercritic noun

Etymology

Origin of critic

1575–85; < Latin criticus < Greek kritikós skilled in judging (adj.), critic (noun), equivalent to krī́t ( ēs ) judge, umpire ( krī́ ( nein ) to separate, decide + -tēs agent suffix) + -ikos -ic

Example Sentences

I assumed I would be safe, occupying an aisle seat in the murderously expensive prime orchestra during a press performance attended by critics.

From Los Angeles Times

The announcement comes as critics predict that the first film will win at the Oscars on Sunday, where it is has two nominations for best animated feature and best original song.

From BBC

Because it is already illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections, critics of the bill describe the legislation as a solution looking for a problem.

From Barron's

And critics questioned how much influence Blair managed to get in return back then.

From BBC

UK-based human rights group Amnesty International has said the UAE has "continued to criminalise the right to freedom of expression through multiple laws and to punish actual or perceived critics of the government".

From BBC

Related Words

• authority
• cartoonist
• commentator
• expert
• judge
• pundit
• reviewer