critically

[ krit-ik-lee ]
See synonyms for critically on Thesaurus.com
adverb
  1. in a judgmental or disapproving manner: The backlash was immediate after he spoke critically of his opponent’s personal life.

  2. in a manner involving skillful analysis of merit, as of a decision or work of art or literature: a critically sanctioned project; critically admired novels.

  1. to a devastating degree, leading to or reaching a crisis: As floodwaters rise, we are critically lacking sandbags and evacuation transport.

  2. seriously or extremely, as of a gravely unstable medical condition: critically injured; a critically ill pneumonia patient.

  3. with decisive or essential importance with respect to the outcome; crucially; indispensably: The success of this experiment critically relies on optimal weather.

Origin of critically

1
First recorded in 1645–55; critical + -ly

Other words from critically

  • non·crit·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby critically

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use critically in a sentence