a person who judges, evaluates, or criticizes: a poor critic of men.
2.
a person who judges, evaluates, or analyzes literary or artistic works, dramatic or musical performances, or the like, esp. for a newspaper or magazine.
3.
a person who tends too readily to make captious, trivial, or harsh judgments; faultfinder.
1583, from L. criticus, from Gk. kritikos "able to make judgments," from krinein "to separate, decide." The Eng. word always had overtones of "censurer, faultfinder." Critical in this sense is from 1590; meaning "of the nature of a crisis" is 1649 (see crisis).
"A perfect judge will read each work of wit With the same spirit that its author writ;" [Pope, "An Essay on Criticism," 1709]
Crit"ic\ (kr?t"?k), n. [L. criticus, Gr. ????, a critic; prop., an adj. meaning able to discuss, from ???? to judge, discern. See Certain, and cf. Critique.]1. One skilled in judging of the merits of literary or artistic works; a connoisseur; an adept; hence, one who examines literary or artistic works, etc., and passes judgment upon them; a reviewer. The opininon of the most skillful critics was, that nothing finer [than Goldsmith's "Traveler"] had appeared in verse since the fourth book of the "Dunciad." --Macaulay. 2. One who passes a rigorous or captious judgment; one who censures or finds fault; a harsh examiner or judge; a caviler; a carper. When an author has many beauties consistent with virtue, piety, and truth, let not little critics exalt themselves, and shower down their ill nature. --I. Watts. You know who the critics are? the men who have failed in literature and art. --Beaconsfield. 3. The art of criticism. [Obs.] --Locke. 4. An act of criticism; a critique. [Obs.] And make each day a critic on the last. --Pope.
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Audio Help [krit-ik] Pronunciation Key 
t(és) judge, umpire (kr
