critical condition

[ krit-i-kuhl kuhn-dish-uhn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Medicine/Medical. an unstable state, resulting from severe illness or injury, in which the patient’s vital signs and other symptoms indicate a significant risk of death:
An 80-year-old man with serious head injuries was rushed from the accident scene to the hospital, where he remains in critical condition.
a state of serious disrepair or disarray:
After years of underfunding, the city’s infrastructure is in critical condition.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of critical condition¹

First recorded in 1860–65 critical condition fordef 1; 1950–55 critical condition fordef 2

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

They are already in critical condition.

From

One of the victims taken to hospital is in a critical condition, according to the Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare facility, with five others in a serious condition.

From

The third victim, a woman in her 50s, was taken to a hospital in critical condition.

From

Two people were killed and a third was taken to a hospital in critical condition in three separate shootings that happened within a mile of one another in the Green Meadows neighborhood, police said.

From

The hospital was forced to move 50 patients to other hospitals, but 40 patients in a critical condition could not be moved, he added.

From

critical apparatus critical constant

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