critical
Use Critical in a sentence
ɪ 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.
providing 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.
Physics.
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
half-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
Synonyms
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. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To critical
00:10
Critical
is always a great word to know.
So is pelvis. Does it mean:
| the basinlike cavity in the lower part of the trunk of many vertebrates, formed in humans by the innominate bones, sacrum, etc. |
| the flat, movable bone at the front of the knee; kneecap. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
critical (ˈkrɪtɪkəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | containing or making severe or negative judgments |
| 2. | containing careful or analytical evaluations: a critical dissertation |
| 3. | of or involving a critic or criticism |
| 4. | of or forming a crisis; crucial; decisive: a critical operation |
| 5. | urgently needed: critical medical supplies |
| 6. | informal so seriously injured or ill as to be in danger of dying |
| 7. | physics of, denoting, or concerned with a state in which the properties of a system undergo an abrupt change: a critical temperature |
| 8. | go critical (of a nuclear power station or reactor) to reach a state in which a nuclear-fission chain reaction becomes self-sustaining |
| 'critically | |
| —adv | |
| 'criticalness | |
| —n | |
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
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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
sense, 1950); critically (1650s, "accurately;" 1815, "in a critical situation"). In nuclear science, critical mass is attested from 1940.
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.
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Example sentences
Teaching critical thinking and fostering intellectual well-roundedness are important goals, but too general and self-serving.
As in any market, supply plays a critical factor in the long term value of diamonds.
As to her novel, critical judgment is still in suspense.
Skeptics of hydrogen argued that the article was too soft on the concept, whereas others were put off by the critical take.
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