critique
Americannoun
-
critiques
plural
-
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
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 3
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
His critique focused on the “constitution” the company produced as a sort of set of rules for its AI bot, Claude.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
Carrara said he was offended and ignored the critique.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
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 it implied a startling critique of the academy’s tendency toward parochialism.
From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez
Horvath said she and her colleagues have responded to the critiques from Raman and other city leaders by working to improve the system.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
I’m long on compliments, but also never skimp on critiques.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 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
In 2001, in response to such critiques, the Smithsonian convened a blue-ribbon commission of historians and others led by Richard Darman, a former top aide in Republican White Houses.
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
Jesse read every column I wrote, sending critiques, offering ideas.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
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
Jolin said in a series of email exchanges with The Wall Street Journal that she never critiqued or questioned coaches.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
“She was just hounded and just critiqued with terrible jokes,” Perry said, but she didn’t back down.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 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 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
The artist has opened his own Chanel pop-up store where plywood dresses simultaneously honor the brand while critiquing consumer culture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 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
Page Six reported that Janet and Jermaine got into a spat, with Janet critiquing almost every scene.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 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
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
