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.
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 a time, that decision stopped the death penalty in its tracks and offered a stinging critique of its unfairness. Austin Sarat, The Conversation, 1 Sep. 2022 Gonzalez was a Democrat, and one of his Republican colleagues, John Bigbee, couldn’t help getting in a critique and suggesting a change to the bill. Doug Mack, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Aug. 2022 Justice Samuel Alito’s majority and the concurrence by Justice Brett Kavanaugh harked back to Frankfurter’s fierce critique of judicial activism. John Fabian Witt, The New Republic, 26 Aug. 2022 Even that characterization was called into question in Singal's critique, something researchers seemingly acknowledged while asking for more tweaks to the language. Michael Lee, Fox News, 26 Aug. 2022 Salinan Tribe from the Central California coastal ranges, thinks this pattern can be traced back to white settlers introducing a patriarchal culture that permits, condones even, the dismissal and critique of women's voices. Joan Meiners, The Arizona Republic, 24 Aug. 2022 There’s a critique running through the episodes about this obsessive consumption of death. Selome Hailu, Variety, 23 Aug. 2022 Rookie tight end Jelani Woods failed to get his head around on an accurate throw from Foles at one point, allowing the ball to bounce off of his body and prompting a loud critique from both Ryan and offensive coordinator Marcus Brady.The Indianapolis Star, 23 Aug. 2022 Chef Pii’s initial version of Pink Sauce elicited critique and food safety concerns. Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 22 Aug. 2022
Verb
The past few days have seen numerous right-to-repair activists critique Apple's MacBook self-repair program. Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 26 Aug. 2022 Wednesdays via Zoom for serious writers to critique each other’s writings. Linda Mcintosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 July 2022 Paying customers have a right to critique their experiences, Foley said, as established by the Consumer Review Fairness Act in 2016, which both Tripadvisor and Yelp supported.Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2019 On Wednesdays, the Liriodendron Mansion in Bel Air hosts a weekly artists’ gathering where local artists of varying styles and types gather to talk about and critique their work and just enjoy some time together. Matt Button, Baltimore Sun, 4 Aug. 2022 Sometimes the interpersonal dynamics between these characters expect the tropes about catty teenagers to do the heavy lifting, but Porter deftly calibrates these scenes as a launching pad to later critique how paternalism can masquerade as activism. Robert Daniels, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2022 Gutierrez is not the first person to spoof the genre, nor the first to critique the industry for lack of inclusivity. Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2022 Another time in 1964, the first lady called minutes after a press conference to critique his performance. Janelle Davis, CNN, 16 Feb. 2022 At 37-13 two-plus months until the playoffs, the Warriors have provided little to critique. Connor Letourneau, San Francisco Chronicle, 30 Jan. 2022 See More
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