supercritical

[soo-per-krit-i-kuhl]

adjective

1. extremely critical.

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

supercritical

/ ˌsuːpəˈkrɪtɪkəl /

adjective

1. 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

2. nuclear physics of or containing more than the critical mass

Other Word Forms

• supercritically adverb
• supercriticalness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of supercritical¹

First recorded in 1600–10; super- + critical

Example Sentences

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

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

From Salon

The concept of "supercritical coupling" plays a pivotal role in addressing these challenges.

From Science Daily

Instead, Castro-González says, the water exists in a supercritical state between a liquid and a gas.

From Science Magazine

Environmental Protection Agency primary authority to issue the kind of permit McLaughlin and his team will need to pump large volumes of carbon dioxide, pressurized into a high density “supercritical” state, underground.

From Seattle Times