connoisseur

con·nois·seur

noun \ˌkä-nə-ˈsər also -ˈsu̇r\

Definition of CONNOISSEUR

1

: expert; especially : one who understands the details, technique, or principles of an art and is competent to act as a critical judge

2

: one who enjoys with discrimination and appreciation of subtleties <a connoisseur of fine wines>

— con·nois·seur·ship \-ˌship\ noun

Examples of CONNOISSEUR

1. She is a connoisseur of African art.
2. <a forthcoming exhibit at the art museum that is eagerly awaited by connoisseurs of ancient Greek pottery>
3. Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, now starring in Broadway's A Raisin in the Sun, takes his grooming rituals seriously. “I take a bath around 3 a.m. when I get home to wind down. I'm a bath connoisseur,” says Combs, 34. “I have bath salts, bath beads—I can make you the best bath in the world.” —Ann Marie Cruz, People, 14 June 2004
4. Police reporting had made me a connoisseur of auto accidents. Some people could tell a fake Rembrandt from the real thing; I could tell a run-of-the-mill fender bender from a real accident. —Russell Baker, The Good Times, 1989
5. It was apple juice. Ortiz watched him drink it with all the delicacy of a wine connoisseur sampling new bordeaux. —Tom Clancy, The Cardinal of the Kremlin, (1988) 1989
6. He was a voracious reader, a strong critic, an art connoisseur in certain directions, a collector of books, but above all he was a man of the world by profession, and loved the contacts—perhaps the collisions—of society. —Henry Adams, The Education of Henry Adams, 1907

Origin of CONNOISSEUR

obsolete French (now connaisseur), from Old French connoisseor, from connoistre to know, from Latin cognoscere — more at cognition

First Known Use: 1714

Related to CONNOISSEUR

Synonyms

cognoscente, dilettante

Antonyms

amateur, inexpert, nonexpert

Related Words

adept, authority, expert, maestro, master, past master, scholar, virtuoso; critic, reviewer; amateur, dabbler; collector; specialist; aficionado (also afficionado), buff, devotee, enthusiast, fan

Near Antonyms

groundling, lowbrow, materialist, philistine

Rhymes with CONNOISSEUR

accoucheur, amateur, balsam fir, cocklebur, colporteur, cri de coeur, cross-refer, curvature, de rigueur, disinter, force majeure, franc-tireur, Fraser fir, monseigneur, nonconcur, pasticheur, prosateur, raconteur, rapporteur, regisseur, saboteur, secateur, underfur, voyageur