criticality
Britishnoun
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the state of being critical
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physics the condition in a nuclear reactor when the fissionable material can sustain a chain reaction by itself
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In nuclear physics, criticality refers to the point at which a chain reaction becomes self-sustaining, with each generation of fission reactions producing enough neutrons to maintain the next.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
That “makes sense given the size of the business and its criticality to the company and their customers,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
We’ve had water treatment failures, chemical imbalances brought on by malfunction, E. coli contamination, and the people of Flint, Michigan, of course, appreciate the criticality of clean water better than anyone in the country.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
Four startups, including one from a separate DOE program, say they have achieved criticality, or self-sustaining nuclear reactions, with their reactor designs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
With this realization, priorities have been assigned to all critical circuits transiting the key facilities, based on established criteria of criticality of service continuity.
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