View synonyms for critical

critical

[ krit-i-kuhl ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

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
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
occupied with or skilled in criticism:
She was one of the great critical journalists of the 20th century.
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.
providing textual variants, proposed emendations, etc.:
The library has a new critical edition of Chaucer.
of the nature of a crisis; threatening a seriously bad outcome; grave:
There was a critical shortage of food.
of decisive importance with respect to the outcome; crucial:
The nation is facing a critical moment in its history.
essential; indispensable:
Cocoa butter is a critical ingredient in chocolate.
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.
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

containing or making severe or negative judgments
containing careful or analytical evaluations
a critical dissertation
of or involving a critic or criticism
of or forming a crisis; crucial; decisive
a critical operation
urgently needed
critical medical supplies
informal.
so seriously injured or ill as to be in danger of dying
physics of, denoting, or concerned with a state in which the properties of a system undergo an abrupt change
a critical temperature
go critical
(of a nuclear power station or reactor) to reach a state in which a nuclear-fission chain reaction becomes self-sustaining

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Derived Forms

ˈcriticalness, noun
ˈcritically, adverb

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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

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Word History and Origins

Origin of critical¹

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

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Example Sentences

LRAs are a critical component of HIV cure research due to their role in what is called "kick and kill," the idea that HIV can be reawakened and actively targeted to eliminate the viral reservoir.

From Science Daily

"Each gene was like a single word. However, there was a piece of critical information lacking: transcription initiation sites for individual genes."

From Science Daily

“As technology continues to advance, it is critical that our laws and practices evolve to meet the unique challenges of this era.”

From Los Angeles Times

However, Weaver says the new papers offer a critical insight for the field.

From Science Magazine

Even at the most remote locations, critical changes or incidents in the environment -- such as disease outbreaks, droughts or illegal killing of wildlife -- could then be recognised without delay.

From Science Daily

Related Words

critic critical angle

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