critic

American  

[krit-ik] / ˈkrɪt ɪk /

noun

• critics
  plural

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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• supercritic
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• critics
  plural

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

Explanation

A critic is someone who finds fault with something and expresses an unfavorable opinion. You might be a critic of your school’s new plan to start the school day at 6:30 a.m. The word critic came into English by way of Latin, tracing back to the Greek word krinein, meaning “judge, decide.” If you’re a critic, you’re essentially judging something — and finding it lacking. Critic can be used broadly to describe any person expressing an unfavorable view, but there are professional critics as well, such as people who review movies or music. In that sense, the word describes someone who thoughtfully assesses something, either favorably or negatively.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

critic critics

“Factually, it’s baloney,” Times film critic Amy Nicholson wrote in her review of “Tony.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Food critic Giles Coren previously came out in support of the restaurant, claiming Michelin-starred restaurants should not have to abide by normal health and safety rules and the guidelines should "probably be modernised".

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Here are some of the best shows to watch right now, according to our television critic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

“There’s much to admire in ‘Howl’s Moving Castle,’ which is precisely the problem,” remarked film critic Stephanie Zacharek in her 2005 review for Salon.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

An avowed critic of his government’s policies of apartheid, especially in sports, he was typical of South African liberals, who from time to time found themselves torn between conscience and patriotism.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

The Taliban government celebrates five years of ruling Afghanistan on Saturday, with the authorities hailing their country's "freedom" and security, while critics decry tightening restrictions in all areas of daily life.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Starr answers her critics, in a roundabout way, on her album cover - where she pairs a club-ready gold dress with a traditional gele headwrap.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

To critics, it is a system that will cover up weaknesses in some corners of the AI marketplace.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Like past after-action reports, the review was hyper-focused on the threats faced by officers, critics said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Erwin’s beneficence, however, did not silence the rising critics of a system that traded informal “favors” for complete submission to the owner’s authority.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

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