critic Hear it!

critic Definition

critic (krit′ik)

noun

    1. a person who forms and expresses judgments of people or things according to certain standards or values
    2. such a person whose profession is to write or broadcast such judgments of books, music, paintings, sculpture, plays, films, television, etc., as for a newspaper
  2. a person who indulges in faultfinding and censure

Etymology: L criticus < Gr kritikos, a critic, orig., critical, able to discern < krinein: see crisis

critic Synonyms

critic

n.

  1. One who makes adverse comments

    faultfinder, carper, caviler, censor, censurer, quibbler, nitpicker, pettifogger, blamer, detractor, slanderer, maligner, complainer, doubter, nagger, fretter, scolder, disapprover, defamer, disparager, captious critic, Monday morning quarterback*, mudslinger*, knocker*, panner*, basher*.

    Antonyms praiser, believer*, supporter. *

  2. One who endeavors to interpret and judge

    commentator, analyst, analyzer, connoisseur, reviewer, cartoonist, caricaturist, expert, judge, authority, pundit, diagnostic, annotator, master, evaluator, editor, blurb writer; see also connoisseur, examiner, scholar 2.

critic Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • silence: He promises to furnish answers and arguments needed to silence critics.
  • impress: The crucial moment, which has so impressed critics throughout the ages, actually occurred before the allegorical display had begun.

Converse of subject

  • hail: Released in February 1977 Marquee Moon was hailed by critics as one of the most striking and original recording debuts in years.
  • savage: The show, titled Frankie Howerd Goes East, was an anarchic mess that was hated by the BBC and savaged by the critics.
  • praise: He had had two novels published, with strong alcoholic themes, both of which had been lavishly praised by distinguished critics.

Adjective modifier

  • outspoken: The Saudi-born bin Laden has been an outspoken critic of the Saudi royal family.
  • literary: He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, under the Marxist literary critic Raymond Williams.
  • harsh: Do you have a voice that could melt the heart of the harshest opera critic?
  • eminent: Ashes to ashes The eminent cultural critic Lewis Mumford saw even more striking parallels between a culture's relationships with death and life.
  • textual: The problems that the textual critic has to solve are three.

Noun used with modifier

  • armchair: We all remember the armchair critics who told us after the last election that we could not recover.
  • post-colonial: The local parents online car insurance rate the post-colonial critic.
  • theater: Well now's your chance to be a theater critic!
  • art: At last space 4 - for the art critic discussions.
  • film: A similar reaction was reported at the film critics ' preview.
  • freelance: The residential seminar in February included inspiring talks from Sight & Sound Editor Nick James and freelance critic Ryan Gilbey.

Possessives

darling: And it's been three decades since the Eagles could be described as critics ' darlings.

Preposition: of

  • globalization: And far from taking apart the arguments of critics of globalization, he presents a distorted version of the criticism, and attacks that.
  • Christianity: Most people, even critics of Christianity, accept their own plea that it is all too distasteful to mention.