critical

[ krit-i-kuhl ]

/ ˈkrɪt ɪ kəl /

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adjective

inclined to find fault or to judge with severity, often too readily.

occupied with or skilled in criticism.

involving skillful judgment as to truth, merit, etc.; judicial: a critical analysis.

of or relating to critics or criticism: critical essays.

providing textual variants, proposed emendations, etc.: a critical edition of Chaucer.

pertaining to or of the nature of a crisis: a critical shortage of food.

of decisive importance with respect to the outcome; crucial: a critical moment.

of essential importance; indispensable: a critical ingredient.

Medicine/Medical. (of a patient's condition) having unstable and abnormal vital signs and other unfavorable indicators, as loss of appetite, poor mobility, or unconsciousness.

Physics.

pertaining to a state, value, or quantity at which one or more properties of a substance or system undergo a change.
(of fissionable material) having enough mass to sustain a chain reaction.

Nearby words

Origin of critical

First recorded in 1580–90; critic + -al¹

SYNONYMS FOR critical

1. captious, censorious, carping, faultfinding, caviling. 3. discriminating, exact, precise.

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Related forms

crit·i·cal·ly, adverbcrit·i·cal·i·ty, crit·i·cal·ness, nounan·ti·crit·i·cal, adjectivean·ti·crit·i·cal·ly, adverb

an·ti·crit·i·cal·ness, nounhalf-crit·i·cal, adjectivehalf-crit·i·cal·ly, adverbhalf-crit·i·cal·ness, nounnon·crit·i·cal, adjectivenon·crit·i·cal·ly, adverbnon·crit·i·cal·ness, nounpost·crit·i·cal, adjectivepseu·do·crit·i·cal, adjectivepseu·do·crit·i·cal·ly, adverbqua·si-crit·i·cal, adjectivequa·si-crit·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for criticalness

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
His mind could not fail to be struck with the criticalness of the situation.
Caleb Williams|William Godwin
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

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

British Dictionary definitions for criticalness

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 Formscritically, 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

Word Origin and History for criticalness

critical

adj.

1580s, "censorious," from critic + -al (1). Meaning "pertaining to criticism" is from 1741; medical sense is from c.1600; meaning "of the nature of a crisis" is from 1640s; that of "crucial" is from 1841, from the "decisive" sense in Latin criticus. Related: Criticality (1756; in the nuclear sense, 1950); critically (1650s, "accurately;" 1815, "in a critical situation"). In nuclear science, critical mass is attested from 1940.

Medicine definitions for criticalness

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

adjective

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Origin of critical

Examples from the Web for criticalness

critical

adjective

critical

critical

adj.