crucial

[ kroo-shuhl ]

/ ˈkru ʃəl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR crucial ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

involving an extremely important decision or result; decisive; critical: a crucial experiment.

severe; trying.

of the form of a cross; cross-shaped.

Words nearby crucial

crst syndrome, crt, crtc, cru, cruces, crucial, crucian, crucian carp, cruciate, cruciate anastomosis, cruciate ligament

Origin of crucial

1700–10; < Latin cruci- (stem of crux) cross + -al¹

SYNONYMS FOR crucial

1 momentous, vital, essential, significant.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR crucial ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM crucial

cru·ci·al·i·ty

[kroo-shee-al-i-tee, kroo-shal-] /ˌkru ʃiˈæl ɪ ti, kruˈʃæl-/, nouncru·cial·ly, adverbnon·cru·cial, adjectivenon·cru·cial·ly, adverb

pre·cru·cial, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for crucial

All it needs is one more “pipe” to select and transmit the crucial information.
Red Tape and Black Boxes: Why We Keep ‘Losing’ Airliners in 2014|Clive Irving|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some pilots consider the infrared marker to be crucial to the close air-support mission to support ground troops.
Newest U.S. Stealth Fighter ‘10 Years Behind’ Older Jets|Dave Majumdar|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And some of the most compelling statements came from a powerful, crucial set of equality allies: corporations.
Corporations Are No Longer Silent on LGBT Issues||December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
From the looks of it, mistletoe is a keystone species and plays a crucial role in that forest ecosystem.
Mistletoe is the Vampire of Plants|Helen Thompson|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Given that crucial importance, The Macallan is famously hands-on when it comes to its wooden barrels.
How Much Do Whisky Casks Really Affect Taste?||December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Surely, you will not fail me now at this most crucial moment of my life.
The Beauty|Mrs. Wilson Woodrow
It was this reduced council of the subordinates, as will presently appear, that made the crucial decision of the campaign.
Lincoln|Nathaniel Wright Stephenson
He fidgeted a little; as he approached the crucial point, his gaze evaded mine.
The Firefly Of France|Marion Polk Angellotti
It is a crucial test, a heart-rending test for a boy of twenty years.
The Courage of the Commonplace|Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews
Calmness descended upon him as he realized that he was soon to face a crucial test.
The Mind Master|Arthur J. Burks

British Dictionary definitions for crucial

crucial

/ (ˈkruːʃəl) /

adjective

involving a final or supremely important decision or event; decisive; critical

informal very important

slang very good

Derived forms of crucial

crucially, adverb

Word Origin for crucial

C18: from French, from Latin crux cross

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

crucial

adjective

Words related to crucial

Words nearby crucial

Origin of crucial

SYNONYMS FOR crucial

OTHER WORDS FROM crucial

Examples from the Web for crucial

British Dictionary definitions for crucial

adjective

Derived forms of crucial

Word Origin for crucial