crucial

[kroo-shuhl]

adjective

1. involving an extremely important decision or result; decisive; critical.

   a crucial experiment.

   Synonyms: significant, essential, vital, momentous

2. severe; trying.

3. of the form of a cross; cross-shaped.

crucial

/ ˈkruːʃəl /

adjective

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

2. informal,  very important

3. slang,  very good

Other Word Forms

• cruciality noun
• crucially adverb
• noncrucial adjective
• noncrucially adverb
• precrucial adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of crucial¹

First recorded in 1700–10; from Latin cruci- (stem of crux cross ( def. ) ) + -al ¹ ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of crucial¹

C18: from French, from Latin crux _cross

Example Sentences

Athena isn’t a particularly intimidating antagonist, given that Julian seems to have forgotten to give her crucial abilities and weapons.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Where once governments and the public saw safety risks, some now see a source of low-carbon electricity that is crucial to help economies shift away from fossil fuels.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Meanwhile, the White House has suspended billions of dollars in infrastructure projects planned for Democratic strongholds, and the Fed will have to make crucial interest-rate decisions without fresh economic data.

Read more on Barron's

A crucial event that led to a breakthrough was Israel's failed attempt to kill the Hamas leadership in Doha on 9 September.

Read more on BBC

Other crucial factors are humor, energy and maybe a little bit of conflict between spouses or partners.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• central 
• compelling 
• deciding 
• decisive 
• essential 
• imperative 
• momentous 
• necessary 
• pivotal 
• pressing 
• touchy 
• urgent 
• vital 

When To Use

What does crucial mean?

Crucial means extremely important or involving an extremely important decision or course of action. Close synonyms are critical and decisive.The word crucial is usually used to describe pivotal moments, choices, or actions that will affect everything that follows, as in We’re at a crucial point in the process—we need to make some big decisions. Sometimes, crucial is simply used to describe something that’s extremely important, as in Getting enough sleep is crucial for staying healthy.  Example: I can’t express how absolutely crucial it is to surround yourself with the right friends.