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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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Other Words From

  • super·criti·cal·ly adverb
  • super·criti·cal·ness noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of supercritical1

First recorded in 1600–10; super- + critical
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Example Sentences

Such supercritical fluids occur naturally in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn.

Water goes down the hole, is converted to supercritical steam, and shoots back to the surface to drive standard turbines and produce electricity to feed the grid.

By drilling deeper, the startup will hit rock at higher temperatures—so hot, in fact, that they can produce supercritical water, a fourth phase of water that’s neither liquid nor gas and has a few special properties.

Water then flows in and out of the wells, picking up heat on the way and becoming supercritical steam that drives turbines.

The practical person, the wary pedant, and the supercritical will scoff at this, but let it stand.

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