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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.
Examples of critique in a Sentence
Melissa Noel, Essence, 8 May 2025
Weekly exercises and group critiques culminate in presenting five polished minutes of material on the main stage below.
—Julie Seabaugh, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2025
Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
Also Wednesday night, former Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver a speech in which she’s slated to critique her 2024 opponent’s administration.
—Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for critique
Cite this Entry
“Critique.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/critique. Accessed 17 May. 2025.
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