critical

[ krit-i-kuhl ]

/ ˈkrɪt ɪ kəl /

adjective

inclined to find fault or to judge with severity, often too readily.

occupied with or skilled in criticism.

involving skillful judgment as to truth, merit, etc.; judicial: a critical analysis.

of or relating to critics or criticism: critical essays.

providing textual variants, proposed emendations, etc.: a critical edition of Chaucer.

pertaining to or of the nature of a crisis: a critical shortage of food.

of decisive importance with respect to the outcome; crucial: a critical moment.

of essential importance; indispensable: a critical ingredient.

Medicine/Medical. (of a patient's condition) having unstable and abnormal vital signs and other unfavorable indicators, as loss of appetite, poor mobility, or unconsciousness.

Physics.

pertaining to a state, value, or quantity at which one or more properties of a substance or system undergo a change.
(of fissionable material) having enough mass to sustain a chain reaction.

Origin of critical

First recorded in 1580–90; critic + -al¹

SYNONYMS FOR critical

1 captious, censorious, carping, faultfinding, caviling.

3 discriminating, exact, precise.

OTHER WORDS FROM critical

crit·i·cal·ly, adverb crit·i·cal·i·ty, crit·i·cal·ness, noun an·ti·crit·i·cal, adjective an·ti·crit·i·cal·ly, adverb

an·ti·crit·i·cal·ness, noun half-crit·i·cal, adjective half-crit·i·cal·ly, adverb half-crit·i·cal·ness, noun non·crit·i·cal, adjective non·crit·i·cal·ly, adverb non·crit·i·cal·ness, noun post·crit·i·cal, adjective pseu·do·crit·i·cal, adjective pseu·do·crit·i·cal·ly, adverb qua·si-crit·i·cal, adjective qua·si-crit·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby critical

crit, crit., criterion, crithidia, critic, critical, critical angle, critical apparatus, critical care unit, critical constant, critical constants

British Dictionary definitions for noncritical (1 of 2)

noncritical

/ (ˌnɒnˈkrɪtɪkəl) /

adjective

not containing or making severe or negative judgments

British Dictionary definitions for noncritical (2 of 2)

critical

/ (ˈkrɪtɪkəl) /

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 of critical

critically, adverb criticalness, noun

Medical definitions for noncritical

critical

[ krĭt′ĭ-kəl ]

adj.

Of or relating to a medical crisis.

Being or relating to a grave physical condition especially of a patient.

Of or relating to the value of a measurement, such as temperature, at which an abrupt change in a chemical of physical quality, property, or state occurs.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

critical

adjective

Origin of critical

SYNONYMS FOR critical

OTHER WORDS FROM critical

Words nearby critical

British Dictionary definitions for noncritical (1 of 2)

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for noncritical (2 of 2)

adjective

Derived forms of critical

Medical definitions for noncritical

adj.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

critical

adjective

Origin of critical

SYNONYMS FOR critical

OTHER WORDS FROM critical

Words nearby critical

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for noncritical (1 of 2)

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for noncritical (2 of 2)

adjective

Derived forms of critical

Medical definitions for noncritical

adj.

British Dictionary definitions for noncritical (1 of 2)