Definition of CRITIQUE (original) (raw)
: 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
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.
Synonyms
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
The doc, which is a sharp critique of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, played after a last-ditch effort by Netanyahu to block it. —
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2024 And, to be clear, these are some extremely damning critiques. —Kelsey Piper, Vox, 12 Sep. 2024
Pundits after the debate largely either praised the vice president’s performance or critiqued Trump’s for allowing Harris to bait him into off-topic tangents, according to The New York Times. —Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024 In Virgo, the sun shines a light on what needs to be critiqued, improved and polished, as this Mutable sign is known for its analytical nature and attention to detail. —Valerie Mesa, Peoplemag, 11 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for critique 
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
Dictionary Entries Near critique
Cite this Entry
“Critique.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/critique. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Share
More from Merriam-Webster on critique
Last Updated: 19 Sep 2024 - Updated example sentences
Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!