criticcrit‧ic /ˈkrɪtɪk/ ●●○ W3 noun [countable] 
a review by the theatre critic of the ‘Sunday Times’2someone who criticizes a person, organization, or ideacritic of Critics of the scheme have said that it will not solve the problem of teenage crime.fierce/outspoken critic an outspoken critic of the government3armchair critic someone who criticizes other people but who does not have any proper experience of the activity the other people are doingCOLLOCATIONStypes of critica film/art/music etc critic· He became the chief music critic for the Herald Tribune.a literary critic (=of books and other literature)a theatre critic British English, a theater critic American English (=of plays)a restaurant critic (=of the food, service etc in restaurants)· Being a restaurant critic sounds like a glamorous lifestyle.a social critic (=of human society and its organizations)· Social critics have argued that television viewing decreases people's other social activities.verbsa critic attacks something· Many critics attacked Seurat’s paintings for their lack of colour.a critic praises something· The play was highly praised by critics and the public.a critic hails something/somebody as something (=describes someone or something as very good)· Critics hailed the film as a brilliant portrayal of American society at that time.a critic pans something (also a critic slates something British English) (=criticizes something strongly)· The television series has been panned by critics.
WORD ORIGINcritic
Origin:
1500-1600 Latin criticus, from Greek kritikos, from krinein; ➔ CRITERIONEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Daley accused critics of the city's Police Department of lying.
- Film critic Roger Ebert has a new partner for his movie-review television program.
- For five years she was theater critic for the New Yorker.
- I didn't think the book was as bad as the critics said it was.
- She started as a food critic for a local paper.
- The Prime Minister answered his critics in a televised speech.
- Given the numbers of the disadvantaged, critics of Treasury ridicule the whole proposal.
- He was viewed by critics as being secretive, arrogant and aloof, but supporters described him as progressive and effective.
- Protestant critics, looking for a religion denuded of magic, would enlist the Bible on their side.
- Serious journalists and social critics have an answer, at least so far as news is concerned.
- The Thatcher record since 1979 has been accompanied by a good deal of inflationary rhetoric from both supporters and critics.
- There were the critics on the newspapers who had praised the vividness and accuracy of the books.
Longman Language Activatorsomeone who criticizes
someone who criticizes someone or something especially in public: · The Prime Minister answered his critics in a televised speech.critic of: · Daley accused critics of the city's Police Department of lying.
to say what you think is bad about someone or something also criticise British · Stop criticizing my driving!· People are always criticizing the Royal family, but I think they do a good job.· Jackson declined to criticize his opponent, choosing instead to focus on his own message.· It's easy to criticize, but managing a football team can be an extremely difficult job.criticize somebody for doing something · The United Nations was criticized for failing to react sooner to the crisis.criticize somebody/something as · The President criticized the proposal as expensive and impractical.
to strongly criticize a plan, system, or way of doing something, especially when you give detailed reasons why you think it is wrong: · Don't be so critical - we're doing our best.be critical of: · Miller was critical of the way the company was managed.be highly critical (=very critical): · Environmental groups were highly critical of the government's new transportation policy.
if someone is a critic of the government, a person in authority etc, they regularly and publicly criticize them: · She is one of the most well-known critics of the American private school system.be an outspoken critic of somebody/something (=not afraid to critize strongly and publicly): · He is regarded as one of Congress's most outspoken critics of television violence.be somebody's greatest/biggest etc critic (=criticize them more than anyone else does): · Mr Levy has established a reputation as the committee's biggest, most vehement critic.
to write your opinion of a new film, book etc to write an article in a newspaper or magazine judging how good or bad a film, play, television programme, or book is: · Doig's new book is reviewed on page 4.· As well as being an author, she reviews books for the Sunday papers.· Eliot wrote to him after he reviewed "The Use of Poetry."
an article in a newspaper or magazine that judges a book, television programme, film etc: · Our first English assignment was to write a book review.· The movie got good reviews.review of: · Wilberforce had just written a long review of Darwin's book.
informal an article in a newspaper or magazine, that says how good or bad a new film, book, product etc is: · Did you see Martin Amis' write-up of the book in the Observer?· After a write-up in Yankee magazine, orders started pouring in.· The film didn't get a very good write-up in Time Out.
someone who writes in newspapers or magazines or on television or radio, giving their judgement about books, films etc: · I didn't think the book was as bad as the critics said it was.theatre/film/art etc critic: · For five years she was theater critic for the New Yorker.· Film critic Roger Ebert has a new partner for his movie-review television program.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYtypes of critic United’s new striker confounded the critics with his third goal in as many games. She was a vocal opponent of the plan.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
· He became the chief music critic for the Herald Tribune.
(=of books and other literature)
British English, a theater critic American English (=of plays)
(=of the food, service etc in restaurants)· Being a restaurant critic sounds like a glamorous lifestyle.
(=of human society and its organizations)· Social critics have argued that television viewing decreases people's other social activities.
verbs· Many critics attacked Seurat’s paintings for their lack of colour.
· The play was highly praised by critics and the public.
(=describes someone or something as very good)· Critics hailed the film as a brilliant portrayal of American society at that time.
(also a critic slates something British English) (=criticizes something strongly)· The television series has been panned by critics.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES United’s new striker confounded the critics with his third goal in as many games.· The review was written by 'The Daily Telegraph’s' film critic.
She was a vocal opponent of the plan.· The Government could breathe a sigh of relief at the disappearance of some of its fiercest critics.· But now city officials find themselves embroiled in a battle with a fierce critic of the law: the Roman Catholic Church.· The Conservatives believe that it would be a major advantage to have Mr Woodhead as a fierce government critic in the Lords.· Its fiercest critics, Jumblatt and Sfeir, have also been approached by the president.
· A harsher critic would have gone for the jugular and claimed that this was a blunt reiteration of those dormant adolescent prejudices.· They have been among the United Nations' harshest critics and loudest advocates of reform.· The harshest critics would say that while top executives tried to manage the acquisitions, they forgot to run their companies.· Raoul, for example, had often ended up in the role of unavailable, harsh critic.
· He was equally admired by literary critics, such as Southey and De Quincey.· She is learning skills that trial lawyers and literary critics, alike, use.· Morrison clearly enjoyed this foray into the territory of the literary critic.· Koenig, a literary and theater critic, lives in London.· Megill writes not as a literary critic but as a philosophically trained historian of ideas.· Quintilian, the greatest Roman literary critic, said that it added something to the received religion.
· Her father was an eccentric, outspoken critic of the government, who was killed by police in 1985.· Next day we lunched with a young politician known as the most outspoken critic of Smith and the government.· From January 1891 it appeared as the Lagos Weekly Record, and was for forty-nine years an outspoken critic of colonialism.
· This passage would be followed by one written by a more existentially oriented social critic.· Serious journalists and social critics have an answer, at least so far as news is concerned.· It might seem that adolescents are doomed for ever to be ideological social critics.· Some people think he was the devil incarnate; others think he was a great social critic.
· The priest, Gleb Yakunin, long has been a vocal critic and irritant to secular as well as religious authorities.· An increasingly vocal group of critics sees a deep menace, for example, in the Internet.· Sun is campaigning against Microsoft Corp., a vocal critic of the standards plan.
NOUN· Incidentally, the good art critic should be the reader's friend in refusing to be impressed by art market prices.· Here, in 1989, an exhibit of photographs by the late Robert Mapplethorpe aroused the wrath of art critics in Congress.· Marriage to a middle-aged art critic who has turned dealer.· An art critic also needs a gift for persuasion, perhaps rather more than a head for exposition and argument.· The art critic is thus bound to consider with care what standards of comparison should be used.· Between 1908 and 1912 Ross was art critic on the Morning Post.· Richard Dorment, art critic of the Daily Telegraph, is certainly not impressed.· Any art critic may take such a position, but a historian almost never.
· Vincent Canby, the influential New York Times film critic, has died aged 76.· The film has gotten good reviews, but it has scared the wits out of some male film critics.· Today we are a film critic.· After the University of Montpellier he worked first as a film critic, then as a reporter in Paris.· The two day forum will consider, amongst other issues, the current role of the film critic.· Have new television channels, satellite cable etc. made the film critic redundant and fit for an academic existence only?
· Unfortunately, Howard Reich, a Chicago music critic, fails to solve the mystery of the pianist's rise and disappearance.· Examiner music critic Philip Elwood is the dean of Bay Area jazz writers.· While hipper contemporaries were playing the clubs the music critics went to, he was making a living playing local pubs.· Is the guy trying to make life difficult for music critics, or what?· Later he became the New Yorker's music critic and went on to be music editor of the Listener.· Leaving behind the familiar phrasings, Coltrane began to produce swirls of sound and visceral shrieks that puzzled and angered music critics.· Bob Halliday, music critic of the Bangkok Post, says it is.
· Indeed, his position as Town's theatre critic meant that she was getting some evenings out free as well.· We challenged them to make our theatre critic, Joe Riley, laugh.· Brandon Thomas opted to unveil his Aunt away from London fearful that the capital's theatre critics would tear it to pieces.
VERB· Kyl, one of the leading critics of the weapons convention, in effect borrowed from the implementing legislation for the convention.
· Worst production of the year, wrote one London critic.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
- And it has a billion armchair critics, so clothes do count.
- I did not intend to foster more armchair critics of the public schools either.
WORD FAMILYnouncriticcriticismadjectivecritical ≠ uncriticalverbcriticizeadverbcritically ≠ uncritically
1someone whose job is to make judgments about the good and bad qualities of art, music, films etc SYN reviewermusic/art/film/theatre/literary critic a review by the theatre critic of the ‘Sunday Times’2someone who criticizes a person, organization, or ideacritic of Critics of the scheme have said that it will not solve the problem of teenage crime.fierce/outspoken critic an outspoken critic of the government3armchair critic someone who criticizes other people but who does not have any proper experience of the activity the other people are doingCOLLOCATIONStypes of critica film/art/music etc critic· He became the chief music critic for the Herald Tribune.a literary critic (=of books and other literature)a theatre critic British English, a theater critic American English (=of plays)a restaurant critic (=of the food, service etc in restaurants)· Being a restaurant critic sounds like a glamorous lifestyle.a social critic (=of human society and its organizations)· Social critics have argued that television viewing decreases people's other social activities.verbsa critic attacks something· Many critics attacked Seurat’s paintings for their lack of colour.a critic praises something· The play was highly praised by critics and the public.a critic hails something/somebody as something (=describes someone or something as very good)· Critics hailed the film as a brilliant portrayal of American society at that time.a critic pans something (also a critic slates something British English) (=criticizes something strongly)· The television series has been panned by critics.