supercritical

American

[soo-per-krit-i-kuhl] / ˌsu pərˈkrɪt ɪ kəl /

adjective

extremely critical.
Physics. pertaining to a mass of radioactive material in which the rate of a chain reaction increases with time.

supercritical British

/ ˌsuːpəˈkrɪtɪkəl /

adjective

physics (of a fluid) brought to a temperature and pressure higher than its critical temperature and pressure, so that its physical and chemical properties change
nuclear physics of or containing more than the critical mass

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of supercritical

First recorded in 1600–10; super- + critical

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.

See Examples For:

supercritical

But in December, the government said it would keep Cirebon-1 open, citing its long potential lifespan and "supercritical" technology, which burns coal more efficiently than older plants.

From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026

Those results are expected to be clues to reveal the mechanism of supercritical accretion.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 14, 2025

It relies on heating and pressurising water to such a high degree that it enters a new state of matter: a so-called supercritical state.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2025

Other suggested techniques, such as supercritical water oxidation or plasma reactors, have the same drawbacks.

From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2024

The practical person, the wary pedant, and the supercritical will scoff at this, but let it stand.

From Dickens' London by M. F. (Milburg Francisco) Mansfield

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023