critically

[ krit-ik-lee ]
/ ˈkrɪt ɪk li /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR critically ON THESAURUS.COM

adverb

in a judgmental or disapproving manner: The backlash was immediate after he spoke critically of his opponent’s personal life.
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.
to a devastating degree, leading to or reaching a crisis: As floodwaters rise, we are critically lacking sandbags and evacuation transport.
seriously or extremely, as of a gravely unstable medical condition: critically injured; a critically ill pneumonia patient.
with decisive or essential importance with respect to the outcome; crucially; indispensably: The success of this experiment critically relies on optimal weather.

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Visualize yourself passing this quiz on words from Jacqueline Woodson’s exquisite verse novel “Brown Girl Dreaming,” and then take the quiz to prove you can do it! (Because you can.)
Question 1 of 10
What does “barren” mean?
a cylindrical wooden container with slightly bulging sides.
Worn down by dullness, tedious repetition.
unproductive; unfruitful
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Origin of critically

First recorded in 1645–55; critical + -ly

OTHER WORDS FROM critically

non·crit·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby critically

critical constant, critical constants, critical damping, critical density, criticality, critically, critically endangered, critical mass, critical organ, critical path analysis, critical period
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to critically

badly, sharply, sorely, strictly, markedly, seriously, dangerously, firmly, extremely, acutely, painfully, sternly, adversely, severely, desperately, recklessly, perilously, precariously, alarmingly, hard

Example sentences from the Web for critically