critique
Americannoun
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an article or essay criticizing a literary or other work; detailed evaluation; review.
-
a criticism or critical comment on some problem, subject, etc.
-
the art or practice of criticism.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a critical essay or commentary, esp on artistic work
-
the act or art of criticizing
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing critique
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 3
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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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.
See Examples For:
Wilson -- behind an acclaimed translation which Nolan has praised -- generated headlines this week after penning a scathing critique of his screenplay.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Concluding her critique of Nolan’s “Odyssey,” Wilson says the release of the movie is “still an event to celebrate.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
As a Greek American, this particular critique has probably been more prevalent on my social media timeline.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Directors Noujaim and Gandhi are not out to critique Burning Man, or to celebrate it either.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
She has this gorgeous lilting South Carolinian accent that she uses to give a sermon at the end of every critique.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
The pandemic response was far from perfect, and there are tons of legitimate critiques.
From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2026
He began posting critiques of viral L.A. dishes after a work injury and never expected them to take off.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Whether those critiques result major revisions remains to be seen.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
Those of us who continue to believe in the American experiment must reject these critiques.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
They had complaints and critiques they couldn’t keep to themselves.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
They were materials that he read, and he critiqued.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
Once a Peer Review article is provisionally accepted, the authors of the critiqued paper will be notified and invited to respond.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
This indicator has long been critiqued for being too slow-moving and inaccurate.
From Slate ● Apr. 24, 2026
Habermas critiqued what he saw as the commodification of mass media and entertainment, arguing that a mass-produced culture destroys critical public debate.
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026
While they tried things on I merely watched and critiqued, not in the mood to shop for myself, though I did need new shoes.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
He was flanked by two classic Stormtroopers, who had different dialogue in each showing — one time critiquing Black Spire Outpost and later talking of a run-in with a Jedi.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
In January, Chun wrote and published an essay on his public Substack newsletter critiquing some of the public's responses to the Bondi shooting.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
Securities filings show shareholder letters critiquing the termination fee from Zazove Associates and from Alejandro Malbran’s investment firm, Brancous, which owns about 1% of Braemar stock.
From Barron's ● Apr. 9, 2026
So it’s not because you’re critiquing oligarchs and billionaires.
From Slate ● Mar. 4, 2026
Her head ached from filling out college and scholarship applications, revising her admission essay, and working on a lengthy blog post critiquing the designs shown at Paris Fashion Week.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
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.
