Nearby Words
l
adjective
1.
inclined to find fault or to judge with severity, often too readily.
2.
occupied with or skilled in criticism.
3.
involving skillful judgment as to truth, merit, etc.; judicial: a critical analysis.
4.
of or pertaining to critics or criticism: critical essays.
5.
EXPANDproviding textual variants, proposed emendations, etc.: a critical edition of Chaucer.
6.
pertaining to or of the nature of a crisis: a critical shortage of food.
7.
of decisive importance with respect to the outcome; crucial: a critical moment.
8.
of essential importance; indispensable: a critical ingredient.
9.
Medicine/Medical. (of a patient's condition) having unstable and abnormal vital signs and other unfavorable indicators, as loss of appetite, poor mobility, or unconsciousness.
10.
COLLAPSEPhysics.
a.
pertaining to a state, value, or quantity at which one or more properties of a substance or system undergo a change.
b.
(of fissionable material) having enough mass to sustain a chain reaction.
Related forms
crit·i·cal·ly, adverb
crit·i·cal·i·ty, crit·i·cal·ness, noun
an·ti·crit·i·cal, adjective
an·ti·crit·i·cal·ly, adverb
an·ti·crit·i·cal·ness, noun
EXPANDhalf-crit·i·cal, adjective
half-crit·i·cal·ly, adverb
half-crit·i·cal·ness, noun
non·crit·i·cal, adjective
non·crit·i·cal·ly, adverb
non·crit·i·cal·ness, noun
post·crit·i·cal, adjective
pseu·do·crit·i·cal, adjective
pseu·do·crit·i·cal·ly, adverb
qua·si-crit·i·cal, adjective
qua·si-crit·i·cal·ly, adverb
COLLAPSESynonyms
1. captious, censorious, carping, faultfinding, caviling. 3. discriminating, exact, precise.
1. captious, censorious, carping, faultfinding, caviling. 3. discriminating, exact, precise.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Critical
is always a great word to know.
So is jugular. Does it mean:
| a bone in the human leg extending from the pelvis to the knee, that is the longest, largest, and strongest in the body; thighbone. |
| of or pertaining to the throat or neck. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
critical
1580s, "censorious," from critic + -al (1). Meaning "pertaining to criticism" is from 1741; medical sense is from c.1600; meaning "of the nature of a crisis" is from 1640s; that of "crucial" is from 1841. Related: Criticality (1756; in the nuclear
EXPANDsense, 1950); critically (1650s, "accurately;" 1815, "in a critical situation"). In nuclear science, critical mass is attested from 1940.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
critical crit·i·cal (krĭt'ĭ-kəl)
adj.
Of or relating to a medical crisis.
Being or relating to a grave physical condition especially of a patient.
Of or relating to the value of a measurement, such as temperature, at which an abrupt change in a chemical of physical quality, property, or state occurs.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
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