critical failure

American  

[krit-i-kuhl feyl-yer] / ˈkrɪt ɪ kəl ˈfeɪl jər /

noun

1. a movie, song, or the like that is received very unfavorably by professional critics.

   The director’s new film is a modest rebound from the commercial and critical failure of the previous one.

2. a malfunction of a piece of equipment, program, etc., that halts or severely impairs its operation.

   We need an overhaul of security protocols to avoid another critical failure of the system.

   Engineers analyzed the root causes of these critical failures of the machinery so as to address them with improved design.

3. null critical miss, critical fail (in role-playing games) a move that harms the player who made it or does not inflict the intended damage on an opponent, usually due to a particularly low roll of the die or dice.

   Rolling a one is a critical failure.

---

Etymology

Origin of critical failure

First recorded in 1950–55 critical failure for def. 1; 1965–70 critical failure for def. 2; 2000–05 critical failure for def. 3

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

critical failure

While the risk of explosion is believed to have been low, CalMac described it as a "critical failure" in the gas fuel system and said lessons had been learned.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

As reported by the BBC and numerous other sources, the mission experienced a critical failure in the propulsion systems which will prevent the Peregrine lunar lander from touching down on the lunar surface.

From Salon ● Jan. 10, 2024

“It’s probably the single most critical failure of development in the past 30 years,” says Philip Setel, a medical and demographic anthropologist who directs the civil-registration initiative at Vital Strategies.

From New York Times ● Mar. 29, 2023

The repair, which included the installation of a 108-inch connector pipeline, was needed to “avoid a possible critical failure to the water supply,” officials said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2022

The Pathfinder mission ended because the lander had an unknown critical failure.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir