critic
Americannoun
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a person who judges, evaluates, or criticizes.
a poor critic of men.
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a person who judges, evaluates, or analyzes literary or artistic works, dramatic or musical performances, or the like, especially for a newspaper or magazine.
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a person who tends too readily to make captious, trivial, or harsh judgments; faultfinder.
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Archaic.
noun
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a person who judges something
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a professional judge of art, music, literature, etc
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a person who often finds fault and criticizes
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing critic
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 7
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This Week In Words: Current Events Vocab for March 6–12, 2021
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"Should Dodge Ball Be Banned in Schools?"
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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.
Appeared in the May 8, 2026, print edition as 'Remembering a Keen and Lively Critic'.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
When “Frankenstein” was first published without Shelley’s name, and chatter about its author began to spread, an early commentary in the British Critic scorned the dissonance between Shelley’s womanhood and the novel’s monstrous narrative.
From Salon • Mar. 8, 2026
However, Colleen McDaniel, editor in chief of Cruise Critic, warns that it’s not unusual for one cruise line to follow another’s lead when it comes to changes in pricing and other policies.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 16, 2025
Critic Anita Singh noted that it "doesn't quite live up to" the Sopranos "but it comes close".
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2025
I name those by Bowles and Roscoe, with that of Elwin and Courthope; see also Dilke's Papers of a Critic, Leslie Stephen's Life, and notices by Lowell, Minto, and Mrs. Oliphant.
From English Lands Letters and Kings Queen Anne and the Georges by Mitchell, Donald G.
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.
