critic

[krit-ik]

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

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of critic¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of critic¹

C16: from Latin criticus, from Greek kritikos capable of judging, from kritēs judge; see _criterion

Example Sentences

For Silverman, the executive producer, the critics of reversible courses are missing the point.

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Ms. Klein is a cultural reporter and critic in Philadelphia.

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Our critic said “At his best, Mr. Greengrass deploys his frequently used facility for establishing a documentary feel . . . to re-create the overwhelming desperation.”

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Mr. Richardson is the Journal’s rock and pop music critic.

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Mr. Richardson is the Journal’s rock and pop music critic.

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Related Words

• authority 
• cartoonist www.thesaurus.com
• commentator 
• expert 
• judge 
• pundit 
• reviewer