critic

1 of 2

noun (1)

crit·​ic ˈkri-tik 

1

a

: one who engages often professionally in the analysis, evaluation, or appreciation of works of art or artistic performances

a literary critic

a film critic

a theater critic

b

: one who expresses a reasoned opinion on any matter especially involving a judgment of its value, truth, righteousness, beauty, or technique

Critics of the new law say that it will not reduce crime.

2

: one given to harsh or captious judgment

a fierce critic of immigration policies

critic

2 of 2

noun (2)

1

archaic : criticism

2

archaic : critique

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• criticizer

Examples of critic in a Sentence

Noun (1)

the president's hard-core critics are going to attack him no matter what he does

the restaurant critic said that the fries at that fast-food outlet were the worst she'd ever eaten

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Nowrasteh was accused of undercounting in previous research and had his prior work on welfare dependency and immigration debunked by conservative critics. —Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 22 Sep. 2025

But the anger that left-leaning media critics felt is clearly gaining more traction with a broader swath of the Democratic Party — people who are opening their wallets and dedicating their time to consuming new and independent media. —Max Tani, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2025

The victory featured a standout effort from quarterback Caleb Williams, who may have quieted his critics for at least a week. —Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Sep. 2025

The shooting also has stirred fear among some Americans that Trump is trying to harness outrage over the killing as justification to suppress the voices of his critics and political opponents. —Aamer Madhani, Fortune, 21 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

borrowed from Latin criticus, borrowed from Greek kritikós, derivative of kritikós, adjective, "discerning, capable of judging," from kritós "separated, picked out" (verbal adjective of krī́nein "to separate, choose, decide, judge") + -ikos -ic entry 1 — more at certain entry 1

Noun (2)

borrowed from French critique critique entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Noun (2)

1616, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing critic

• textual critic

Rhymes for critic

• clitic
• lytic
• analytic
• anxiolytic
• astrocytic
• austenitic
• catalytic
• cytolytic
• dioritic
• diphtheritic
• dolomitic
• endophytic

Kids Definition

critic

noun

crit·​ic

ˈkrit-ik

1

: a person who makes or gives a judgment of the value, worth, beauty, or excellence of something

2

: faultfinder