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connoisseur

American  
[kon-uh-sur, -soor] / ˌkɒn əˈsɜr, -ˈsʊər /

noun

  1. a person who is especially competent to pass critical judgments in an art, particularly one of the fine arts, or in matters of taste.

    a connoisseur of modern art.

  2. a discerning judge of the best in any field.

    a connoisseur of horses.
connoisseur British  
/ ˌkɒnɪˈsɜː /

noun

  1. a person with special knowledge or appreciation of a field, esp in the arts

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • connoisseurship noun

Etymology

Origin of connoisseur

First recorded in 1705–15; from French; Old French conoiseor, from Latin cognōscitōr- (stem of cognōscitor ) “knower”; cognoscible, -tor

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As far as horror films go, writer-director Ian Tuason’s debut feature “Undertone” has just about everything a genre connoisseur could ever want, all rolled into one.

From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026

Phillips said a 1518 was the sort of watch that once acquired, "a connoisseur can feel to have reached the utmost peak of collecting".

From Barron's • Nov. 9, 2025

In 1996, for example, she was billed as a "chat-up connoisseur" during a dating segment on Good Morning with Anne and Nick.

From BBC • Nov. 8, 2025

Short and stout, he was unprepossessing and—especially unfortunate for a connoisseur of visual art—would soon lose the use of one eye in a car accident.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

“Since when did you become a connoisseur of fine cigars?”

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.