Connoisseur Meaning
/ˌkɑnəˈsɝ/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA specialist in a given field whose opinion is highly valued, especially in one of the fine arts or in matters of taste.
Sentence Examples
A bargain! For the true connoisseur!
I'm a cheese connoisseur.
He is a connoisseur of the art of opera.
CEFR Practice Quiz
As a ____ of fine wines, he could identify the vintage just by smelling it.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
As a true wine ____, he could easily identify the brand and vintage with just one sip.
Word Origin & History
Around 1705–1715, from French connoisseur, from the verb connoître (obsolete pre-1835 spelling of connaître (“to know”)).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"It is evident, in spite of his frequent attention to her while she draws, that in fact he knows nothing of the matter. He admires as a lover, not as a connoisseur."
— 1811, [Jane Austen], chapter III, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume I, London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC:
"No; nonsense, Naumann! English ladies are not at everybody’s service as models. And you want to express too much with your painting. You would only have made a better or worse portrait with a background which every connoisseur would give a different reason for or against."
— 1871–1872, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter XIX, in Middlemarch […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, book (please specify |book=I to VIII):
"This, when it was brought to him, he drank slowly, like a connoisseur, lingering on the taste and still looking about him at the cliffs and up at our signboard."
— 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:
"Real connoisseurs know that to nose and taste properly you have to add still water to your tulip-shaped glass so that the alcohol doesn't overwhelm you."
— 2002 October 20, Bob Morris, “The Age of Dissonance”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
As a ____ of fine wines, he could identify the vintage just by smelling it.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
As a true wine ____, he could easily identify the brand and vintage with just one sip.