critical point
noun
Simple meaning
A point at which the derivative of a function is zero or undefined, such as a minimum, a maximum, a point of inflection or.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kritihkuhlpoyntSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkɹɪtɪkəlˈpɔɪnt
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.
noun
mathematics
A point at which the derivative of a function is zero or undefined, such as a minimum, a maximum, a point of inflection or, in multivariate calculus, a saddle point.
A crisis situation or point in time when a critical decision must be made
thermodynamics
The temperature and pressure at which the vapour density of the gas and liquid phases of a fluid are equal, at which point there is no difference between gas and liquid.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A point at which the derivative of a function is zero or undefined, such as a minimum, a maximum, a point of inflection or, in multivariate calculus, a saddle point.
Used this way, critical point is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a mathematical use: it is defined precisely and belongs to working with figures and calculations rather than to ordinary conversation.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Mathematics
- Geometry
- Academic writing
- Education/classroom
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
Share your sentence
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “critical point” 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.