critique

/krɪˈtik/

/krɪˈtik/

Other forms: critiques; critiquing; critiqued

As a verb, critique means to review or examine something critically. As a noun, a critique is that review or examination, like an art essay or a book report.

The French version of this word is spelled the same (meaning "the art of criticism") and came from the Greek kritike tekhne ("the critical art"). This shouldn't come as a great surprise, since it was the Greeks who gave us such masters of the critique as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Today, through book reports, argument papers, and critical essays, we carry on the tradition of the critique, which is one of the most important skills we'll ever learn in school.

Definitions of critique

1. verb

   appraise critically
   “Please critique this performance”

   synonyms: review

   types:

   peer review, referee

   evaluate professionally a colleague's work

   type of:

   evaluate, judge, pass judgment

   form a critical opinion of
2. noun

   a serious examination and judgment of something
   synonyms: criticism

   types:

   examen

   a critical study (as of a writer's work)

   knock, roast

   negative criticism

   self-criticism

   criticism of yourself

   type of:

   critical analysis, critical appraisal

   an appraisal based on careful analytical evaluation
3. noun

   an essay or article that gives a critical evaluation (as of a book or play)
   synonyms: critical review, review, review article

   types:

   book review

   a critical review of a book (usually a recently published book)

   notice

   a short critical review

   rave

   an extravagantly enthusiastic review

   type of:

   criticism, literary criticism

   a written evaluation of a work of literature