critical

[ krit-i-kuhl ]

/ ˈkrɪt ɪ kəl /

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See synonyms for: critical / criticality / critically / criticalness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

inclined to find fault or to judge with severity, often too readily: Parents who are too critical make their children anxious.

involving criticism, or skillful judgment as to truth, merit, etc.:The article provides a critical analysis of the Gulf War.

occupied with or skilled in criticism: She was one of the great critical journalists of the 20th century.

of or relating to critics or criticism, especially of literature, film, music, etc.: Critical appreciation of this author’s work has peaked in recent years.

providing textual variants, proposed emendations, etc.: The library has a new critical edition of Chaucer.

of the nature of a crisis; threatening a seriously bad outcome; grave: There was a critical shortage of food.

of decisive importance with respect to the outcome; crucial: The nation is facing a critical moment in its history.

essential; indispensable: Cocoa butter is a critical ingredient in chocolate.

Medicine/Medical. having unstable and abnormal vital signs and other unfavorable indicators, as loss of appetite, poor mobility, or unconsciousness: The patient has been upgraded from critical to stable.

Physics.

pertaining to a state, value, or quantity at which one or more properties of a substance or system undergo a change: The critical temperature of benzene is 289° C.
(of fissionable material) having enough mass to sustain a chain reaction: They told us about a lab where some plutonium went critical.

OTHER WORDS FOR critical

1 captious, censorious, carping, faultfinding, caviling.

2 discriminating, judicious; exact, precise.

See synonyms for critical on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of critical

First recorded in 1580–90; critic + -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM critical

crit·i·cal·ly, adverbcrit·i·cal·i·ty

[ -krit-i-kal i tee], / ˌkrɪt ɪˈkæl ɪ ti/, crit·i·cal·ness, nounan·ti·crit·i·cal, adjectivenon·crit·i·cal, adjective

pseu·do·crit·i·cal, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use critical in a sentence

Gyp, deeply impressed by the criticalness of the situation, summoned a meeting of the Ravens.
Highacres|Jane Abbott
I could better now realize our position than when at work, and the criticalness of it struck and awed me like a revelation.
The Wreck of the Grosvenor, Volume 3 of 3|William Clark Russell
He was conducted to a chamber, and, the criticalness of his case requiring unusual attention, I spent the night at his bedside.
Arthur Mervyn|Charles Brockden Brown
I could not make you comprehend the criticalness of our position.
Lige on the Line of March|Glenna Lindsley Bigelow

Her mind was powerfully affected by the criticalness of her situation.
Ormond, Volume I (of 3)|Charles Brockden Brown

British Dictionary definitions for critical

critical

/ (ˈkrɪtɪkəl) /

adjective

containing or making severe or negative judgments

containing careful or analytical evaluationsa critical dissertation

of or involving a critic or criticism

of or forming a crisis; crucial; decisivea critical operation

urgently neededcritical medical supplies

informal so seriously injured or ill as to be in danger of dying

physics of, denoting, or concerned with a state in which the properties of a system undergo an abrupt changea critical temperature

go critical (of a nuclear power station or reactor) to reach a state in which a nuclear-fission chain reaction becomes self-sustaining

Derived forms of critical

critically, adverbcriticalness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for critical

critical

[ krĭt′ĭ-kəl ]

adj.

Of or relating to a medical crisis.

Being or relating to a grave physical condition especially of a patient.

Of or relating to the value of a measurement, such as temperature, at which an abrupt change in a chemical of physical quality, property, or state occurs.

critical

OTHER WORDS FOR critical

Origin of critical

OTHER WORDS FROM critical

Words related to critical

How to use critical in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for critical

Derived forms of critical

Medical definitions for critical