critique

cri·tique | \ krə-ˈtēk

How to pronounce critique (audio)

, kri- \

Definition of critique

(Entry 1 of 2)

: 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

critiqued; critiquing

Definition of critique (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to examine critically : review critique the plan

Synonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about critique

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Did You Know?

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 Weeks of other campaigns' critiques against Warren may have taken their toll on her in this regard, too. — CBS News, "Sanders starts 2020 in strong position in Iowa and New Hampshire — CBS News Battleground Tracker," 5 Jan. 2020 Much has been made of Major League Baseball’s inability to market its stars, and many of those critiques are fair. — Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, "Opinion: Was Derek Jeter MLB's last celebrity? Hall of Fame voting shines spotlight on baseball's withering relevance," 3 Jan. 2020 The result, former members of the Trump administration say, has been a dismissal of any critiques that could weaken that bond. — David E. Sanger, New York Times, "For Trump, Instinct After Florida Killings Is Simple: Protect Saudis," 7 Dec. 2019 Friday’s announcement seems to have sated many of those critiques. — Frederick Reimers, Outside Online, "Backcountry Is Making Amends After Angering Consumers," 11 Nov. 2019 Most of the critiques are focused on Perry’s most infamous character, Madea. — Danielle Young, Essence, "Tyler Perry's Hollywood Friends Defend Him Against Critiques," 11 Oct. 2019 The report also addresses some of the common critiques leveled against a carbon tax, including that the policy would hit the poor hardest. — Justin Worland, Time, "Activists Can't Agree on How to Fight Climate Change. The IMF Says Just Do Something.," 10 Oct. 2019 Meanwhile, advocates question the underlying premise of such critiques: that the growth of climate services comes at the expense of traditional research. — Geoff Dembicki, Scientific American, "Companies May Limit Lifesaving Climate Data to Clients That Can Pay," 15 Aug. 2019 Yet Mihaljevic is aware of critiques that the Clinic seems to wall off the city beyond its parking lots, garages and shiny, high-tech buildings linked by overhead walkways. — Steven Litt, cleveland.com, "Is CWRU-Clinic Health Education Campus just another big shiny box at a sprawling medical center? - Steven Litt," 14 July 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Hollywood and Yard again complimented Troeschel’s flavors, but critiqued her for being inconsistent. — oregonlive, "‘The Great American Baking Show’ names a winner: How did our Portland teacher do?," 3 Jan. 2020 For the last three weeks, Louisville's defense has heard people critiquing it for its performance against Kentucky. — Cameron Teague Robinson, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville defeats Mississippi State in Music City Bowl, ends two-game bowl losing streak," 30 Dec. 2019 In early September, an anonymous NHS consultant who frequently critiques Babylon Health under the Twitter pseudonym Dr. Murphy, demonstrated a case of possible gender bias in Babylon’s symptom checker. — Jeremy Hsu, Quartz, "How using a medical startup’s AI “symptom checker” could go very wrong," 13 Dec. 2019 Harris may simply be too wedded to establishment politics to adequately critique them. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, "Kamala Harris Is Moving to Iowa," 23 Sep. 2019 Kelly passed on a chance to critique a bowl system that put his 10-win team in a game with a seven-win team by saying it’s beyond his control. — Tyler James, Indianapolis Star, "Notre Dame finds passion and purpose in Camping World Bowl rout of Iowa State," 29 Dec. 2019 Other must-haves: avid user of Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and the ability to honestly critique. — Stephanie Toone, ajc, "Holiday dream job? Get paid $1,000 to watch Hallmark Christmas movies," 15 Nov. 2019 But unlike then, Chinese communities in the U.S. or the U.K. now have the ability to critique the work of these chefs, thanks in part to social media. — Suyin Haynes, Time, "Fights Over 'Authentic' Chinese Food Have a Long and Complicated History. Now They're Tearing the Culinary World Apart," 8 July 2019 There were times when Anfernee broke down in tears as a child as his dad critiqued his form or pushed him to run through the same drill over and over again. — Jamie Goldberg, oregonlive, "Portland Trail Blazers’ Anfernee Simons is leaning on family as he navigates the ups and downs of the NBA," 28 Dec. 2019

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.

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Last Updated

15 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Critique.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/critiques. Accessed 25 January 2020.

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More Definitions for critique

critique

noun

English Language Learners Definition of critique

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a careful judgment in which you give your opinion about the good and bad parts of something (such as a piece of writing or a work of art)

critique

verb

English Language Learners Definition of critique (Entry 2 of 2)

: to express your opinion about the good and bad parts of (something) : to give a critique of (something)

See the full definition for critique in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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WORD OF THE DAY

lackluster

dull or mediocre

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