Definition of CRITIQUES

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Noun

Critique is an alteration of an archaic word that referred generally to criticism. Critique itself dates to the early 18th century and originally referred to a piece of writing that criticized a literary or artistic work. The words criticism, critique, and review overlap in meaning. Criticism usually means "the act of criticizing" or a "remark or comment that expresses disapproval," but it can also refer to the activity of making judgments about the qualities of books, movies, etc. (as in "literary criticism").Critique is a somewhat formal word that typically refers to a careful judgment in which someone gives an opinion about something. Review can refer to an essay analyzing a literary or artistic work, but can also sometimes imply a more casual or personal opinion.

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

For the team who made Sorry to Bother You, the homeless camp was a daily reminder about the economic and cultural critique in Riley’s film. — Diana Budds, Curbed, "How two movies portray Oakland’s rapid change," 29 Aug. 2018 The judges, however, need to stop joking around so much during the critiques. — Womansday.com Editors, Woman's Day, "American Idol—Time for the Guys," 25 Feb. 2010 To that end: Facebook appears to be working on a talent show feature that would have users record themselves singing and then submitting their videos for critique. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "A shadowy influence campaign on Facebook is targeting liberal activists," 1 Aug. 2018 Despite the patriotic title, the song is actually meant to be a critique of the U.S. and the country's treatment of veterans, rather than a celebration of being an American. — Allyson Chiu, chicagotribune.com, "Ed Sheeran's song 'Small Bump' was used by Irish anti-abortion campaigners. He doesn't approve.," 21 May 2018 Those people questioning the quality of Amazon's jobs just got a new data point for their critiques. — Shira Ovide, latimes.com, "Amazon is defined by billions, but its workers' median pay is $28,446," 19 Apr. 2018 President Trump’s reelection campaign gave them more ammunition for that critique on Wednesday afternoon. — Emily Cadei, sacbee, "Trump reelection campaign seeks to capitalize on California lawsuit | The Sacramento Bee," 8 Mar. 2018 Don’t go looking to The Final Year for a critique of American power or the future of relations with China. — Christian Lorentzen, New Republic, "The World Obama Tried to Make," 18 Jan. 2018 Unlike our senators who ignored their moral and democratic duties to heed our calls to believe survivors, the Department of Education is obligated to listen to our critique of its rule through the notice-and-comment process. — Jess Davidson, Glamour, "Why Does the Department of Education Want to Put Sexual Assault Survivors on Trial?," 28 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Jaylyn Abergas, a transgender actor who plays one of the leads in the production, remembers some of the criticisms about the play at an early question-and-answer session, critiques about trans misogyny and trans aggression. — Ryan Kost, San Francisco Chronicle, "A little-known, vital moment in LGBT history: SF diner riot lives again onstage," 26 Feb. 2018 Todd Haley will help The Browns are eager to have new offensive coordinator Todd Haley critique the college and pro QBs. — Doug Lesmerises, cleveland.com, "Is it OK for Browns fans to disagree with Joe Thomas? Podcast," 27 Jan. 2018 This particular sentiment is widely held by Orthodox Jews: critiquing Christians’ theology isn’t our business, and God only knows what they’d make of ours. — Abigail Shrier, WSJ, "The New Jewish-Christian Amity," 7 Sep. 2018 The 'Psych' and 'West Wing' alum critiques the bail bond industry in a PSA for the nonprofit NextGen America. — Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, "Dulé Hill on Bail Reform: "There Has to Be a More Equitable Process" (Exclusive Video)," 18 June 2018 The jokes aimed at Sanders critiqued her job performance, her appearance and even her Southern roots. — Elizabeth Zwirz, Fox News, "Netflix scraps Michelle Wolf series: reports," 17 Aug. 2018 What may be instantly recognizable to modern audiences is the depiction of the burden that falls on a woman in charge, whose success is suspect and whose actions are constantly critiqued. — T.l. Stanley, latimes.com, "'Game of Thrones' star Natalie Dormer heads Amazon's twisty mystery 'Picnic At Hanging Rock'," 24 May 2018 The skater, who made headlines ahead of his arrival in Pyeongchang, South Korea, for critiquing Vice President Mike Pence, finished third in his event, but first in the hearts of Olympic viewers everywhere. — Cady Lang, Time, "The Internet Is Enchanted With Adam Rippon's Olympic Debut," 12 Feb. 2018 Others are quick to critique that Obama did something similar (referencing a 2013 incident when border guards used pepper spray against migrants who threw rocks at them). — Jennifer Wright, Harper's BAZAAR, "If You're Defending Tear Gassing Children, You're a Horrible Person," 28 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'critique.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for critique

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