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critical
[ krit-i-kuhl ]
adjective
- inclined to find fault or to judge with severity, often too readily:
Parents who are too critical make their children anxious.
Synonyms: , , ,
- involving criticism, or skillful judgment as to truth, merit, etc.:
The article provides a critical analysis of the Gulf War.
Synonyms: , , ,
- 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.
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.
- 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.
- (of fissionable material) having enough mass to sustain a chain reaction:
They told us about a lab where some plutonium went critical.
critical
/ ˈɪɪə /
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
Derived Forms
- ˈپԱ, noun
- ˈپ, adverb
Other Word Forms
- ··· adverb
- ····ٲ [--krit-i-, kal, -i-tee], ···Ա noun
- ·پ··· adjective
- ԴDz··· adjective
- ···· adjective
Example Sentences
"This is a critical time of year for our native wildlife – with birds nesting and other animals such as amphibians and reptiles coming out of winter dormancy and starting to breed."
The acting is a saving grace, especially Edgar-Jones’ commitment to nuance and Poulter’s refreshingly shaded Lee, whose depth of awareness at a critical moment is a believable surprise, beautifully handled by the actor.
The hot meals kitchens have provided a critical lifeline, but they are reaching just half the population with only 25% of daily food needs.
China dominates the production of rare earths and critical metals like cobalt and lithium.
Rare earths, like samarium and terbium, are critical to the production of technologies set to shape the world in the coming decades – including electric vehicles and highly advanced weapons systems.
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