critique

1 of 2

noun

cri·​tique krə-ˈtēk 

kri-

: an act of criticizing

especially : a critical (see critical sense 1c) estimate or discussion

a critique of the poet's work

an honest critique of her art

critique

2 of 2

verb

critiqued; critiquing

transitive verb

: to examine critically : review

critique the plan

Did you know?

What’s the difference between criticism and critique? There’s some overlap in meaning, but they’re not the same in every situation. Criticism is most often used broadly to refer to the act of negatively criticizing someone or something (“I’m more interested in encouragement right now than criticism”) or a remark or comment that expresses disapproval (“She shared a minor criticism about the design”), while critique is a more formal word for a carefully expressed judgment, opinion, or evaluation of both the good and bad qualities of something—for example, books or movies. Thus, a critic can write a critique that may be full of criticism.

Synonyms

Noun

• criticism
• examen
• notice
• review

Examples of critique in a Sentence

Noun

She wrote a radical critique of the philosopher's early essays.

They gave a fair and honest critique of her art.

Verb

The class convened to critique the student's latest painting.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

While human creativity often achieves this through intentionality—commentary, critique or parody—AI outputs rarely meet this standard. —Sri Bhargav Krishna Adusumilli, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025

Rolling Stone recently traveled to Quebec City to spend six hours hands-on with Assassin’s Creed Shadows and talk to key Ubisoft developers about the franchise’s storied past, fan expectations, bad-faith critiques, and more. —Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2025

Verb

Thank you to all my friends and family who have tested and critiqued my grids over the past several years, and a huge thank-you to my wife, Leanne, for her support of this hobby (and bonus points for discerning a unique thinking face of mine specific to crosswords). —Caitlin Lovinger, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025

The song, which critiques Hollywood’s exploitation of Black culture and the entertainment industry’s negative portrayals of Black people, has been appropriated by some social media users as a celebratory anthem for the destruction. —Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 10 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from French, borrowed from Latin critica "evaluation of literary works," borrowed from Greek kritikḗ noun derivative from feminine of kritikós "discerning, capable of judging" — more at critic entry 1

Verb

derivative of critique entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1679, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1752, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing critique

• self-critique

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Kids Definition

critique

1 of 2 noun

cri·​tique

krə-ˈtēk

: an act or instance of criticizing

especially : a critical estimate or discussion

critique

2 of 2 verb

critiqued; critiquing

: to examine critically : review

critiqued the plan