Meaning & use
connoisseur
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Meaning
nouncountable
A person with expert knowledge and refined taste in a particular subject, especially food, art, or wine.
Grammar: Countable: a connoisseur, two connoisseurs. Often followed by 'of': a connoisseur of wine.
Patterns
- a connoisseur of something
- a wine connoisseur
- an art connoisseur
She is a connoisseur of Italian wines and can name the region of any bottle.
As an art connoisseur, he spotted the fake painting immediately.
The restaurant attracts connoisseurs who care about every detail of the meal.
Word forms
| plural | connoisseurs |
|---|
Common combinations
- a connoisseur of
- He is a connoisseur of fine coffee.
- a wine connoisseur
- The wine connoisseur recommended a rare vintage.
- an art connoisseur
- The art connoisseur visited the gallery every weekend.
- a true connoisseur
- Only a true connoisseur would notice the difference.
Synonyms and how they differ
- expert
- Expert is a general word for someone with deep knowledge; connoisseur adds the idea of refined, discriminating taste, especially in the arts or food.
- aficionado
- Aficionado means a fan who knows a lot about a subject, but it does not always suggest the same level of refined judgment as connoisseur.
- gourmet
- Gourmet is used mainly for food and drink, while connoisseur can apply to art, music, or other fields.
Opposites
Word family
- connoisseurship noun
- The skill or taste of a connoisseur.
Commonly confused: connoisseur or connoisseur vs. connoisseur?
connoisseur vs connoisseur vs. connoisseur
Learners sometimes misspell it as 'connoiseur' or 'connaisseur'. The correct spelling has 'nn' and 'ss': connoisseur.
Practice
She is a real _____ of modern art and can tell a genuine piece from a copy.
Choose one answer.
We need a noun for a person, so 'connoisseur' fits. 'Connoisseurship' is the quality or skill, not the person; 'connoisseurial' and 'connoisseurly' are not standard English words.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “connoisseur”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.