critic

critic — noun

1. someone who expresses strong disapproval of a person, idea, or course of action,

1.nounB2
Definition

someone who expresses strong disapproval of a person, idea, or course of action, often publicly.

Example

Élise's mother became the loudest critic of her plan to move abroad.

collocation: critic + of + noun phrase

Critics of the new law say it does not protect the environment at all.

passive construction with 'critics of'

Common collocations
  • harshest critic
  • fierce critic
  • critic of the government
  • critic of the new policy
  • face critics
Synonyms
  • detractor

    more formal, emphasizes active opposition rather than just disapproval

  • opponent

    broader — a person on the other side of an argument, not necessarily voicing negative judgment

  • fault-finder

    informal, focuses on noticing small flaws rather than expressing strong disapproval

Antonyms
  • supporter

    someone who approves of and backs a person or plan

  • advocate

    someone who publicly speaks in favor of a cause or person

Grammar Patterns

critic + of + noun phrase

Usage Note

Subject of the disapproval can be a person, a plan, a policy, or an institution. The phrase 'one's own harshest critic' is a fixed expression describing someone who judges themselves very severely.

Common Mistakes

He is a critic of art when he said the painting was ugly.
He is a critic of modern art and often says paintings are meaningless.
'critic of' requires a defined target (art, policy, plan), not a single action.

2. a person paid to form and publish opinions about creative works such as films, b

2.nounB1
Definition

a person paid to form and publish opinions about creative works such as films, books, music, and plays, typically for a newspaper, magazine, or website.

Example

The film critic gave the new drama four stars in Saturday's paper.

typical context: 'film critic + gives rating'

Kwame works as the main restaurant critic for a popular city blog.

pattern: critic + for + publication/outlet

Common collocations
  • film critic
  • book critic
  • music critic
  • restaurant critic
  • theater critic
  • critic for a newspaper
Synonyms
  • reviewer

    nearly interchangeable but slightly less formal; emphasizes the act of reviewing rather than the professional identity

  • commentator

    broader — analyzes news, politics, or culture, not specifically creative works

Grammar Patterns

critic + for + publication type

Usage Note

Commonly preceded by the type of work reviewed: film critic, music critic, book critic, restaurant critic, theater critic. The person's views are published — this sense implies a public platform, not private opinion.

Common Mistakes

The teacher was a film critic because she always told us her opinion of movies.
The teacher worked as a film critic for a local newspaper on weekends.
a critic in this sense has a professional or regular publication role, not just anyone who gives opinions.

3. a person who makes careful, thoughtful judgments about a subject, pointing out b

3.nounC1
Definition

a person who makes careful, thoughtful judgments about a subject, pointing out both its good and bad sides based on analysis.

Example

The historian is a leading critic of the traditional view of the war.

academic context: 'critic of the traditional view'

Environmental critics argue that the plan does not reduce pollution enough.

pattern: '[domain] critics argue that…'

Common collocations
  • leading critic
  • sharp critic
  • critic of the theory
  • critic of the approach
  • good critic
Synonyms
  • analyst

    more neutral — emphasizes examination rather than judgment

  • evaluator

    more formal, focuses on assessing value or quality systematically

  • judge

    stronger connotation of authority and final verdict

Grammar Patterns

critic + of + abstract noun phrase

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense implies thoughtful, reasoned evaluation (not merely disapproval). The critic may point out strengths too. Common in academic, policy, and professional discourse. Subject is typically an abstract idea, theory, method, or policy.

Common Mistakes

My dad is a critic of my fashion choices.
My dad is a critic of the school's dress code policy.
sense 3 applies to reasoned evaluation of systems or ideas, not personal taste.

4. a person who closely studies and judges the quality, meaning, or technique behin

4.nounC1
Definition

a person who closely studies and judges the quality, meaning, or technique behind paintings, music, dance, and theatrical performances.

Example

The literary critic examined how the author used light and darkness as symbols throughout the novel.

focus on analytical technique and symbolism

Tara studied lighting design and movement to become a theater critic with technical knowledge.

Common collocations
  • literary critic
  • art critic
  • dance critic
  • theater critic
  • architecture critic
Synonyms
  • connoisseur

    emphasizes expert knowledge and refined taste rather than public evaluation

  • interpreter

    focuses on explaining meaning rather than judging quality

  • appraiser

    more formal, often used in professional valuation contexts

Grammar Patterns

critic + of + art form

Usage Note

Overlaps with sense 2 but emphasizes the depth of analysis rather than the act of publishing an opinion. A film critic (sense 2) may give a star rating; an art critic (sense 4) analyzes technique, symbolism, and cultural meaning. Often used with specific art forms: literary critic, art critic, dance critic, theater critic.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

A critic in the professional sense (sense 2) is someone whose job is to evaluate creative works publicly. A reviewer is a near-synonym but feels less weighty — a reviewer may write brief opinions for a general audience, while a critic often implies deeper expertise or a regular column. A commentator analyzes events or ideas rather than art (e.g. a political commentator), whereas an analyst systematically breaks down a subject into parts for examination, often in financial or technical fields. A judge has authority to decide the outcome of a competition, which is different from offering an opinion. In practice, a film critic might also be called a film reviewer in casual contexts, but calling someone 'a film critic' suggests more authority and experience than 'a film reviewer.' If you write for a respected publication, you are more likely to be called a critic; if you blog casually, you are a reviewer.

reviewercommentator ↗analyst ↗judge ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • film critic
  • music critic
  • book critic
  • art critic
  • theater critic
  • restaurant critic
  • architecture critic
  • dance critic
  • literary critic

Adverbs

Phrases

  • critic of the government
  • critic of the policy
  • leading critic
  • harshest critic
  • sharp critic
  • fierce critic
  • armchair critic

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'critic' entered English in the late 1500s from the Latin criticus (meaning 'able to judge'), which itself came from the Greek kritikos (meaning 'able to discern or judge') — a derivative of krinein, which means 'to separate, decide, or judge.' The original sense in Greek was about the ability to make distinctions and form judgments, a root meaning that still lies at the heart of all four modern senses.