critically
Americanadverb
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in a judgmental or disapproving manner.
The backlash was immediate after he spoke critically of his opponent’s personal life.
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in a manner involving skillful analysis of merit, as of a decision or work of art or literature: critically admired novels.
a critically sanctioned project;
critically admired novels.
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to a devastating degree, leading to or reaching a crisis.
As floodwaters rise, we are critically lacking sandbags and evacuation transport.
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seriously or extremely, as of a gravely unstable medical condition: a critically ill pneumonia patient.
critically injured;
a critically ill pneumonia patient.
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with decisive or essential importance with respect to the outcome; crucially; indispensably.
The success of this experiment critically relies on optimal weather.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of critically
First recorded in 1645–55; critical ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )
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.
And they use tools -- research last year showed a critically endangered population of orcas in the Salish Sea breaking off pieces of seaweed to rub and groom each other.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
“It’s critically important for us,” said Michael Dorfman, its CEO.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
That water, equivalent to the annual use of about 600,000 typical households, is expected to add about 3 feet to Lake Mead’s level, enough to temporarily stave off critically low levels for a few months.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
He and his team are already preparing breeding programmes for the critically endangered African white-backed vultures and endangered African grey crowned cranes.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
He’s on his feet in a blink and begins assessing the room critically.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
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.
