critical mineral

American  

[krit-i-kuhl min-er-uhl, min-ruhl] / ˈkrɪt ɪ kəl ˈmɪn ər əl, ˈmɪn rəl /

noun

1. a mineral or element, such as aluminum, cobalt, lithium, or nickel, that is declared by the U.S. government to be necessary for the production of nationally important technologies and is difficult to source, especially because of its rarity or location.

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Etymology

Origin of critical mineral

First recorded in 2005–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

critical mineral

Army is leasing base land to companies for critical mineral processing plants to establish a domestic supply chain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

The findings have important implications for energy policy, critical mineral management, and industrial planning.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 20, 2026

The Office of Strategic Capital is expected to deploy billions more in loans in the coming months to critical mineral and military technology companies.

From Salon ● May 31, 2026

In August 2024, the port delivered its first critical mineral shipment ever to Belgium.

From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026

The February 26 ban covered exports of all raw minerals but focused on raw lithium, a critical mineral of which Zimbabwe is Africa's largest producer, shipping most to China's massive rechargeable battery sector.

From Barron's ● Mar. 26, 2026