critique

American  

[kri-teek] / krɪˈtik /

noun

• critiques
  plural

1. an article or essay criticizing a literary or other work; detailed evaluation; review.

2. a criticism or critical comment on some problem, subject, etc.

3. the art or practice of criticism.

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verb (used with object)

critiqued, critiquing

1. to review or analyze critically.

critique British  

/ krɪˈtiːk /

noun

1. a critical essay or commentary, esp on artistic work

2. the act or art of criticizing

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• critiques
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of critique

First recorded in 1695–1705; from French, from Greek kritikḗ “the art of criticism,” noun use of feminine of kritikós “critical, skilled in judging”; replacing critic

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Explanation

As a verb, critique means to review or examine something critically. As a noun, a critique is that review or examination, like an art essay or a book report. The French version of this word is spelled the same (meaning "the art of criticism") and came from the Greek kritike tekhne ("the critical art"). This shouldn't come as a great surprise, since it was the Greeks who gave us such masters of the critique as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Today, through book reports, argument papers, and critical essays, we carry on the tradition of the critique, which is one of the most important skills we'll ever learn in school.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

critique critiques critiqued critiquing

Following Lisandro Martinez's critique of the club's hierarchy last week, club captain Bruno Fernandes appeared to call out Carrick's tactics in Como, suggesting all is not well in the Old Trafford dressing room.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

The French UN mission apologized in September for the critique, a mea culpa that was well-received by Washington and cleared the way for Lechevallier's appointment.

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026

And they recognize the fundamental truth in the critique.

From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026

His only critique is that CTA lobbying in Sacramento should be better connected to ground-level demands, a goal that CTA leadership has been working toward, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

Only a few weeks after the Time cover story, however, the locomotive of adoration was sidelined by a more substantial critique.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Bass has issued withering critiques of Raman, portraying her as uninformed about Black voters and their history in the city.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

But recent pushback and critiques of offerings such as the new “A Different World” series and the “Michael” movie once again raise valid concerns about the state of critical debate on Black art.

From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026

Blow, who has not responded to these critiques publicly, tells me he instead decided to "sit down and focus on the games".

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

One of the common critiques against universities is that they fail to prepare students for the “real world.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Even her professors were a little wary of her—her bizarre, impractical building plans, presented on cheap brown paper, her indifference to their passionate critiques.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

Some have critiqued the low rate of serious findings from full-body scans, and Neko’s own research found that only about 1% of asymptomatic users in Sweden found anything life-threatening.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

After O’Neill was appointed as chief executive, shares dropped, as investors critiqued her tenure as a former Nike executive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

Few works of American literature are as extensively analyzed and critiqued for their impact, for good or ill, on our cultural mythmaking.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026

Legg's paper critiqued research published by Microsoft in 2025.

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

The way the festival is set up, each school performing a full-length play is to be critiqued afterward by drama directors from other Pennsylvania high schools.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

Back then, it was also often about critiquing Black art for Black art’s sake and its possibilities, when today critical discussions seem to urgently hinge on Black art for the sake of its preservation.

From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026

“They did not engage in journalism when it came to critiquing me,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Roberts’ opinion for the court, despite being well-written and legally correct, resists critiquing the original order with the forcefulness this issue deserves.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

This may be an argument for all of us to be more charitable when critiquing New York Times coverage of advances in the software industry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026

And, of course, she kept her head down throughout it all, doing enough to keep Brullo from critiquing her, but not enough to make him praise her the way he did Cain.

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

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Related Words

• appraisal
• assessment
• comment
• commentary
• criticism
• editorial
• examination
• judgment

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