critical
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
About, or indicating, a crisis or turning point.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kritihkuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkɹɪtɪkəl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
Pertaining to, or indicating, a crisis or turning point.
Inclined to find fault or criticize.
Extremely important.
Of or involving or characteristic of critics or criticism
Relating to criticism or careful analysis, such as literary or film criticism.
Likely to go out of control if disturbed, that is, opposite of stable.
noun
In breakdancing, a kind of airflare move in which the dancer hops from one hand to the other.
A critical value, factor, etc.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Pertaining to, or indicating, a crisis or turning point.
Used this way, critical is a reasonably familiar word with a faintly unfavourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Critical or judgemental
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- captious , rarer, so it draws attention
- faultfinding , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use critical
- “A critical attitude.”adjective
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A person who is professionally engaged in the analysis and interpretation of works of art.
In a critical manner.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An appraisal based on careful analytical evaluation.
The smallest angle of incidence for which light is totally reflected.
An appraisal based on careful analytical evaluation.
The minimum amount (of something) required to start or maintain a venture.
A crisis situation or point in time when a critical decision must be made.
An essay or article that gives a critical evaluation (as of a book or play).
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
An essay or article that gives a critical evaluation (as of a book or play).
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: pertaining to or or indicating or a crisis
Antonyms
Sense: pertaining to or or indicating or a crisis
Say it better
Looking for a more precise alternative? “critical” can mean several things.
exhaustedravenousmeticulouscriticaldelighted
Explore better ways to say “critical”Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Related Learning
Guides that use this word in context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “critical” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.