supercritical
Americanadjective
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extremely critical.
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Physics. pertaining to a mass of radioactive material in which the rate of a chain reaction increases with time.
adjective
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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
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nuclear physics of or containing more than the critical mass
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of supercritical
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.
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
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 concept of "supercritical coupling" plays a pivotal role in addressing these challenges.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 22, 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
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.
