critical condition
Americannoun
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Medicine/Medical. an unstable state, resulting from severe illness or injury, in which the patient’s vital signs and other symptoms indicate a significant risk of death.
An 80-year-old man with serious head injuries was rushed from the accident scene to the hospital, where he remains in critical condition.
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a state of serious disrepair or disarray.
After years of underfunding, the city’s infrastructure is in critical condition.
Etymology
Origin of critical condition
First recorded in 1860–65 critical condition for def. 1; 1950–55 critical condition for def. 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Back-to-back shark attacks in the Florida Panhandle have left at least one swimmer in critical condition this month.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 20, 2026
This year, he said, “we’re seeing that critical condition really spreading across Northern California.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2026
Chiedza Nyanjowa, from Cheshire, was taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in a critical condition after the swim at Formby beach on Bank Holiday Monday and died earlier on Saturday, Merseyside Police said.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
One fire marshal is in a critical condition and one firefighter is in a serious condition as of Friday evening, Mamdani.
From BBC • May 23, 2026
“People recover from being in critical condition all the time.”
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
