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Learn to pronounce crit·i·cal

/ˈkridək(ə)l/
adjective
  1. expressing adverse or disapproving comments or judgments.
    "he was critical of many U.S. welfare programs"
    synonyms: censorious, condemnatory, condemning, castigatory, reproving, denunciatory, deprecatory, disparaging, disapproving, scathing, criticizing, fault-finding, judgmental, negative, unfavorable, unsympathetic, hypercritical, ultra-critical, overcritical, pedantic, pettifogging, cavilling, carping, quibbling, niggling, pass-remarkable, nitpicking, hairsplitting, picky, griping, bitching, bellyaching, whingeing, pernickety, persnickety, reprobatory, reprobative
  2. expressing or involving an analysis of the merits and faults of a work of literature, music, or art.
    "she never won the critical acclaim she sought"
    synonyms: evaluative, analytic, analytical, interpretative, expository, commentative, explanatory, explicative, elucidative
  3. (of a situation or problem) having the potential to become disastrous; at a point of crisis.
    "the flood waters had not receded, and the situation was still critical"
    synonyms: grave, serious, dangerous, risky, perilous, hazardous, precarious, touch-and-go, in the balance, uncertain, desperate, dire, acute, very bad, life-and-death, life-threatening, chancy, dicey, hairy, iffy, dodgy, parlous, peracute, profound, egregious
  4. relating to or denoting a point of transition from one state to another.
    "if the density is less than a certain critical value the gravitational attraction will be too weak to halt the expansion"
  5. (of a nuclear reactor or fuel) maintaining a self-sustaining chain reaction.
    "the reactor is due to go critical in October"

People also ask
5 days ago · 1. a : inclined to criticize severely and unfavorably Don't be so critical. This is just a first attempt. They were critical of the new policies.
4 days ago · saying that someone or something is bad or wrong: a critical report, critical of, She did not want to be publicly critical of his decision.
adjective · inclined to find fault or to judge with severity, often too readily: · involving criticism, or skillful judgment as to truth, merit, etc.:.
The adjective critical has several meanings, among them, "vital," "verging on emergency," "tending to point out errors," and "careful."
critical in American English · 1. tending to find fault; censorious · 2. characterized by careful analysis and judgment · 3. of critics or criticism · 4. of or ...
critical · . saying what you think is bad about somebody/something · . extremely important because a future situation will be affected by it synonym crucial.
CRITICAL meaning: 1 : expressing criticism or disapproval; 2 : of or relating to the judgments of critics about books, movies, art, etc.
5 days ago · adjective ; 1. as in particular. given to making or expressing unfavorable judgments about things ; 2. as in urgent. needing immediate attention ...
There are 16 meanings listed in OED's entry for the word critical, one of which is labelled obsolete. See 'Meaning & use' for definitions, usage, and quotation ...
Jul 31, 2024 · extremely serious or dangerous: The doctors said her condition was critical and she might not survive.