critical condition

American  

[krit-i-kuhl kuhn-dish-uhn] / ˈkrɪt ɪ kəl kənˈdɪʃ ən /

noun

1. Medicine/Medical. an unstable state, resulting from severe illness or injury, in which the patient’s vital signs and other symptoms indicate a significant risk of death.

   An 80-year-old man with serious head injuries was rushed from the accident scene to the hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

2. a state of serious disrepair or disarray.

   After years of underfunding, the city’s infrastructure is in critical condition.

---

Etymology

Origin of critical condition

First recorded in 1860–65 critical condition for def. 1; 1950–55 critical condition for def. 2

Example Sentences

Twenty-eight people remain in hospital - nine of them in a critical condition - after a train crash near Bedford, police have said.

From BBC • Jun. 20, 2026

Back-to-back shark attacks in the Florida Panhandle have left at least one swimmer in critical condition this month.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 20, 2026

This year, he said, “we’re seeing that critical condition really spreading across Northern California.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2026

One fire marshal is in a critical condition and one firefighter is in a serious condition as of Friday evening, Mamdani.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

“People recover from being in critical condition all the time.”

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman