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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
Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 17 July 2025
The piece rightly notes that the question is open-ended and that students should take a strategic approach to answering it; however, the writer’s critique of the question—and the misguided strategies that students take in answering it—betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the question’s intent.
—Christopher Rim, Forbes.com, 17 July 2025
Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 19 July 2025
As the trio posed for a bit of fun in the sun on vacation, some Instagram users instead used the celebratory moment as an opportunity to critique the then-new mom, which prompted a response from the Poosh founder.
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 18 July 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 29 Jul. 2025.
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