| / English Dictionary |
CRITIC
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Someone who frequently finds fault or makes harsh and unfair judgments
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("critic" is a kind of...):
disagreeable person; unpleasant person (a person who is not pleasant or agreeable)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "critic"):
carper; niggler (someone who constantly criticizes in a petty way)
nitpicker (someone who makes small and unjustified criticisms)
roaster (a harsh or humorous critic (sometimes intended as a facetious compliment))
Derivation:
critical (marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws)
critical (of or involving or characteristic of critics or criticism)
criticize (find fault with; express criticism of; point out real or perceived flaws)
criticize (act as a critic)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Anyone who expresses a reasoned judgment of something
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Hypernyms ("critic" is a kind of...):
evaluator; judge (an authority who is able to estimate worth or quality)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "critic"):
appraiser; authenticator (one who determines authenticity (as of works of art) or who guarantees validity)
grader (a judge who assigns grades to something)
panelist; panellist (a member of a panel)
reader; referee; reviewer (someone who reads manuscripts and judges their suitability for publication)
sampler; taste-tester; taste tester; taster (someone who samples food or drink for its quality)
Derivation:
critical (characterized by careful evaluation and judgment)
critical (of or involving or characteristic of critics or criticism)
criticize (find fault with; express criticism of; point out real or perceived flaws)
criticize (act as a critic)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A person who is professionally engaged in the analysis and interpretation of works of art
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Hypernyms ("critic" is a kind of...):
professional; professional person (a person engaged in one of the learned professions)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "critic"):
art critic (a critic of paintings)
drama critic; theater critic (a critic of theatrical performances)
literary critic (a critic of literature)
music critic (a critic of musical performances)
newspaper critic (a critic who writes a column for the newspapers)
Instance hyponyms:
Granville-Barker; Harley Granville-Barker (English actor and dramatist and critic and director noted for his productions of Shakespearean plays (1877-1946))
Allen Tate; John Orley Allen Tate; Tate (United States poet and critic (1899-1979))
Derivation:
critical (of or involving or characteristic of critics or criticism)
criticize (find fault with; express criticism of; point out real or perceived flaws)
criticize (act as a critic)
Context examples:
She was invested, indeed, with the office of judge and critic, and earnestly desired to exercise it and tell them all their faults; but from doing so every feeling within her shrank—she could not, would not, dared not attempt it: had she been otherwise qualified for criticism, her conscience must have restrained her from venturing at disapprobation.
(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)
Guest had often been on business to the doctor’s; he knew Poole; he could scarce have failed to hear of Mr. Hyde’s familiarity about the house; he might draw conclusions: was it not as well, then, that he should see a letter which put that mystery to right? and above all since Guest, being a great student and critic of handwriting, would consider the step natural and obliging?
(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
Describe her verse, as the critics have described it, as sublimated and spiritual, and you have described her body.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
"Pecking at star-dust," Martin took up the strain warmly; "at the meteoric flight of the master-men. I once wrote a squib on them—the critics, or the reviewers, rather."
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
The time is not far distant when some unknown will arise in England and the critics will name her the English Maud Brewster.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
There are great critics, but they are as rare as comets.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
As a critic I was compelled to place you.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
The critics were unanimous in the belief that it would take its place with those two classics by two great writers, "The Bottle Imp" and "The Magic Skin."
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
Besides, all my brother critics were with me.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
The one critic in the United States had pronounced favorably on the poem, while his own contention that good stuff could find its way into the magazines had proved correct.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
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