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What’s the difference between criticism and critique? There’s some overlap in meaning, but they’re not the same in every situation. Criticism is most often used broadly to refer to the act of negatively criticizing someone or something (“I’m more interested in encouragement right now than criticism”) or a remark or comment that expresses disapproval (“She shared a minor criticism about the design”), while critique is a more formal word for a carefully expressed judgment, opinion, or evaluation of both the good and bad qualities of something—for example, books or movies. Thus, a critic can write a critique that may be full of criticism.
Examples of critique in a Sentence
Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Apr. 2025
Underlying Conversation in the Cathedral is a critique of the regime of Manuel A. Odría, who was the president of Peru in the 1950s.
—Ilan Stavans, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2025
David E. Tolchinsky, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2025
Some detractors also critiqued the length of the flight, characterizing the 11-minute jaunt as more of a stunt than a true mission for discovery.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for critique
Cite this Entry
“Critique.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/critique. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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