Dictionary
critical
adjective crit·i·cal \ˈkri-ti-kəl\
: expressing criticism or disapproval
: of or relating to the judgments of critics about books, movies, art, etc.
: using or involving careful judgment about the good and bad parts of something
Full Definition of CRITICAL
1
a : of, relating to, or being a turning point or specially important juncture <a critical phase>: as (1) : relating to or being the stage of a disease at which an abrupt change for better or worse may be expected; also : being or relating to an illness or condition involving danger of death <critical care> <a patient listed in critical condition> (2) : relating to or being a state in which or a measurement or point at which some quality, property, or phenomenon suffers a definite change <critical temperature> b : crucial, decisive <a critical test> c : indispensable, vital <a critical waterfowl habitat> <a component critical to the operation of a machine> d : being in or approaching a state of crisis <a critical shortage> <a critical situation>
2
a : inclined to criticize severely and unfavorably b : consisting of or involving criticism <critical writings>; also : of or relating to the judgment of critics <the play was a critical success> c : exercising or involving careful judgment or judicious evaluation <critical thinking> d : including variant readings and scholarly emendations <a critical edition>
3
a : of sufficient size to sustain a chain reaction —used of a mass of fissionable material <a critical mass> b : sustaining a nuclear chain reaction <the reactor went critical>
— crit·i·cal·i·ty \ˌkri-tə-ˈka-lə-tē\ noun
— crit·i·cal·ly \ˈkri-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb
— crit·i·cal·ness \-kəl-nəs\ noun
See critical defined for English-language learners
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First Known Use of CRITICAL
1547
Related to CRITICAL
- Synonyms
- captious, carping, caviling (or cavilling), faultfinding, hypercritical, judgmental, overcritical, rejective
- Antonyms
- uncritical
Synonym Discussion of CRITICAL
critical, hypercritical, faultfinding, captious, carping, censorious mean inclined to look for and point out faults and defects. critical may also imply an effort to see a thing clearly and truly in order to judge it fairly <a critical essay>. hypercritical suggests a tendency to judge by unreasonably strict standards <hypercritical disparagement of other people's work>. faultfinding implies a querulous or exacting temperament <a faultfinding reviewer>. captious suggests a readiness to detect trivial faults or raise objections on trivial grounds <a captious critic>. carping implies an ill-natured or perverse picking of flaws <a carping editorial>. censorious implies a disposition to be severely critical and condemnatory <the censorious tone of the review>.
synonyms see in addition acute
CRITICAL Defined for Kids
critical
adjective crit·i·cal \ˈkri-ti-kəl\
Definition of CRITICAL for Kids
1
: likely or eager to find fault
2
: consisting of or involving judgment of value, worth, beauty, or quality <critical writings>
3
: using or involving careful judgment <a critical examination of a patient>
4
: extremely important <It is critical that you follow the instructions exactly.>
— crit·i·cal·ly adverb
Word Root of CRITICAL
The Greek word kritikos, meaning “able to judge,” gives us the root critic. Words from the Greek kritikos have something to do with judging. A critic is someone who judges the value or quality or something, such as a movie or book. Someone critical makes a lot of judgments and usually decides that things are not good. To criticize is to make a judgment that something is not good.
Medical Dictionary
critical
adjective crit·i·cal \ˈkrit-i-kəl\
Medical Definition of CRITICAL
1
a : relating to, indicating, or being the stage of a disease at which an abrupt change for better or worse may be anticipated with reasonable certainty <the critical phase of a fever> b : being or relating to an illness or condition involving danger of death <critical care> <a critical head injury>
2
a : of sufficient size to sustain a chain reaction—used of a mass of fissionable material b : sustaining a chain reaction—used of a nuclear reactor
—crit·i·cal·ly \-k(ə-)lē\ adverb
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