Definitions for critical
ˈkrɪt ɪ kəlcrit·i·cal

Princeton's WordNet(3.25 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. criticaladjective

   marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws

   "a critical attitude"

2. criticaladjective

   at or of a point at which a property or phenomenon suffers an abrupt change especially having enough mass to sustain a chain reaction

   "a critical temperature of water is 100 degrees C--its boiling point at standard atmospheric pressure"; "critical mass"; "go critical"

3. criticaladjective

   characterized by careful evaluation and judgment

   "a critical reading"; "a critical dissertation"; "a critical analysis of Melville's writings"

4. critical, vitaladjective

   urgently needed; absolutely necessary

   "a critical element of the plan"; "critical medical supplies"; "vital for a healthy society"; "of vital interest"

5. critical, decisiveadjective

   forming or having the nature of a turning point or crisis

   "a critical point in the campaign"; "the critical test"

6. criticaladjective

   being in or verging on a state of crisis or emergency

   "a critical shortage of food"; "a critical illness"; "an illness at the critical stage"

7. criticaladjective

   of or involving or characteristic of critics or criticism

   "critical acclaim"

Wiktionary(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. criticaladjective

   Inclined to find fault or criticize; fastidious; captious; censorious; exacting.

   A good teacher is fair but critical.

   Etymology: From the suffix -al and , from <

2. criticaladjective

   Pertaining to, or indicating, a crisis or turning point.

   This is a critical moment.

   Etymology: From the suffix -al and , from <

3. criticaladjective

   Extremely important.

   It's critical that you deliver this on time.

   Etymology: From the suffix -al and , from <

4. criticaladjective

   Relating to criticism or careful analysis, such as literary or film criticism.

   The movie was a critical success, but bombed at the box-office.

   Etymology: From the suffix -al and , from <

5. criticaladjective

   Of a patient condition involving unstable vital signs and a prognosis that predicts the condition could worsen; or, a patient condition that requires urgent treatment in an intensive care or critical care medical facility.

   The patient's condition is critical.

   Etymology: From the suffix -al and , from <

6. criticaladjective

   Likely to go out of control if disturbed, that is, opposite of stable.

   The political situation was so critical that the government declared the state of siege.

   Etymology: From the suffix -al and , from <

7. criticaladjective

   Of the point (in temperature, reagent concentration etc.) where a nuclear or chemical reaction becomes self-sustaining.

   The reaction was about to become critical.

   Etymology: From the suffix -al and , from <

Webster Dictionary(4.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Criticalnoun

   qualified to criticise, or pass judgment upon, literary or artistic productions

   Etymology: [See Critic, n., Crisis.]

2. Criticalnoun

   pertaining to criticism or the critic's art; of the nature of a criticism; accurate; as, critical knowledge; a critical dissertation

   Etymology: [See Critic, n., Crisis.]

3. Criticalnoun

   inclined to make nice distinctions, or to exercise careful judgment and selection; exact; nicely judicious

   Etymology: [See Critic, n., Crisis.]

4. Criticalnoun

   inclined to criticise or find fault; fastidious; captious; censorious; exacting

   Etymology: [See Critic, n., Crisis.]

5. Criticalnoun

   characterized by thoroughness and a reference to principles, as becomes a critic; as, a critical analysis of a subject

   Etymology: [See Critic, n., Crisis.]

6. Criticalnoun

   pertaining to, or indicating, a crisis, turning point, or specially important juncture; important as regards consequences; hence, of doubtful issue; attended with risk; dangerous; as, the critical stage of a fever; a critical situation

   Etymology: [See Critic, n., Crisis.]

Matched Categories

1. • Chemistry
   • Physics

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'critical' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1787

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'critical' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2749

3. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'critical' in Adjectives Frequency: #234

How to pronounce critical?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say critical in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of critical in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of critical in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of critical in a Sentence

1. Alan Perlis:

   It is against the grain of modern education to teach children to program. What fun is there in making plans, acquiring discipline in organizing thoughts, devoting attention to detail, and learning to be self-critical?

2. Jeff Zients:

   The requirements for federal workers and contractors will not cause disruptions to government services that people depend on, agencies have the flexibility necessary to enforce the mandate without impacting critical operations.

3. Christopher Stokes:

   Their description of the attack keeps changing - from collateral damage, to a tragic incident, to now attempting to pass responsibility to the Afghanistan government, with such constant discrepancies in the U.S. and Afghan accounts of what happened, the need for a full transparent independent investigation is ever more critical.

4. Linda Mendonca:

   I have heard anecdotally too that for nurses who were close to retirement, or thinking about it, that the pandemic has maybe pushed School Nurses ' in that direction sooner than what School Nurses ' may have been planning on, so that makes the shortage even a little more critical than what we've been dealing with.

5. George Velasco:

   We want to ensure appropriate justice is served, and the contents of the cell phone could contain critical information needed to ensure that happens.

Popularity rank by frequency of use