critical

[ krit-i-kuhl ]

adjective

1. inclined to find fault or to judge with severity, often too readily:

   Parents who are too critical make their children anxious.

   Synonyms: carping, censorious, captious, faultfinding

2. involving criticism, or skillful judgment as to truth, merit, etc.:

   The article provides a critical analysis of the Gulf War.

   Synonyms: precise, exact, judicious, discriminating

3. occupied with or skilled in criticism:

   She was one of the great critical journalists of the 20th century.

4. of or relating to critics or criticism, especially of literature, film, music, etc.:

   Critical appreciation of this author’s work has peaked in recent years.

5. providing textual variants, proposed emendations, etc.:

   The library has a new critical edition of Chaucer.

6. of the nature of a crisis; threatening a seriously bad outcome; grave:

   There was a critical shortage of food.

7. of decisive importance with respect to the outcome; crucial:

   The nation is facing a critical moment in its history.

8. essential; indispensable:

   Cocoa butter is a critical ingredient in chocolate.

9. Medicine/Medical. having unstable and abnormal vital signs and other unfavorable indicators, as loss of appetite, poor mobility, or unconsciousness:

   The patient has been upgraded from critical to stable.

10. Physics.
    1. pertaining to a state, value, or quantity at which one or more properties of a substance or system undergo a change:

       The critical temperature of benzene is 289° C.

    2. (of fissionable material) having enough mass to sustain a chain reaction:

       They told us about a lab where some plutonium went critical.

critical

/ ˈkrɪtɪkəl /

adjective

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

Derived Forms

• ˈcriticalness, noun
• ˈcritically, adverb

Other Words From

• crit·i·cal·ly adverb
• crit·i·cal·i·ty [--krit-i-, kal, -i-tee], crit·i·cal·ness noun
• an·ti·crit·i·cal adjective
• non·crit·i·cal adjective
• pseu·do·crit·i·cal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of critical¹

First recorded in 1580–90; critic + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Gabbard, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve who served in Iraq, has long been critical of foreign policy establishment.

From Salon

Gabbard, who was a Democrat until 2022 but critical of her party long before that, endorsed Trump in the 2024 election.

From Salon

"This is a disaster for US security & alliances. Of all Trump's decisions so far, might be the worst. Tulsi Gabbard has consistently parroted pro-Putin propaganda. Director of National Intelligence is a critical position for which she has absolutely no experience and skill," Thomas Judeau, professor at the University of Ottawa, wrote in an X post.

From Salon

U2’s stay at Sphere was a critical and commercial success, blanketing social media with eye-popping video clips and raking in nearly $250 million, according to the trade journal Pollstar — and at a moment when the show’s stiff competition included Taylor Swift’s Eras tour and Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour.

From Los Angeles Times

The gaps hint that a critical flash point of America’s political impasse may be misunderstood.

From Salon

Related Words

• crucial
• dangerous
• decisive
• dire
• integral
• perilous
• pivotal
• precarious
• risky
• serious
• significant
• strategic
• urgent
• vital