critique

1 of 2

noun

cri·​tique krə-ˈtēk How to pronounce critique (audio)
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.

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
Other critiques are less clear cut, but defensible. Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 Lawmakers and aides who have spoken with Mr. Biden in recent weeks say his anger at Mr. Netanyahu is now eating away at his reluctance to go public with his critiques. Peter Baker, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Songs From the Hole fully and passionately makes the case for rehabilitation, redemption and the power of forgiveness, but the systemic critique is fuzzier. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 The singer went on to re-audition for the role, taking critiques from the class. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 8 Mar. 2024 Like many Democrats, Axelrod has turned his critiques to the opposition. Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Prior to that, Miller was often criticized for her teaching methods, which included yelling, pitting the dancers against one another, and blunt critiques that often ended with the girls in tears. Shania Russell, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024 But the board instead offered pointed critiques and questions, threatening the status of other ketamine posts. Darius Tahir, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2024 The 1933 book offers a critique of America’s education system, explaining how African American children, at the time, were being indoctrinated with concepts of inferiority in society. Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024
Verb
Trump has specifically critiqued the couple, separately and together, over the past five years. Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024 In a way, not much has changed; red carpet fashion is still critiqued and discussed at length. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 8 Mar. 2024 Their weird personal stakes in TPB suggest they are deeply invested in how the Hollywood system operates — the immoral ideology that even Theodor Adorno critiqued, in The Culture Industry. Armond White, National Review, 21 Feb. 2024 Rather than critique this state of affairs from a distance, Kate gives us an idiosyncratic woman chasing that conventional artifice to its extreme — and, upon realizing that she’s caught in a trap, gnawing through her own leg to escape. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2024 He was joined by Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo and other scientists popular in conservative circles for critiquing vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 measures, including Stanford professor Jay Bhattacharya and podcaster Bret Weinstein. Romy Ellenbogen, Miami Herald, 10 Feb. 2024 In social media posts critiquing the speech, Trump warned that Biden was driving the nation into economic and national security decline. Susan Page, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024 While some praise its flair, others have critiqued its effectiveness and longevity. Ben Morse, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 Waring frequently critiques the city's homeless programs and recently suggested nixing the Heat Office to weather financial headwinds projected in future budgets. Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'critique.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of critique was in 1679

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near critique

Cite this Entry

“Critique.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/critique. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on critique

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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