critically
adverb
Simple meaning
In a very serious or important way.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kritihkuhleeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkɹɪtɪkəli
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.
adverb
In a critical manner; with, or in terms of, criticism.
In terms of critique, review, of or by critics
With close discernment; accurately; exactly.
At a crisis or critical time; in a situation, place, or condition of decisive consequence.
Requiring immediate attention; likely to cause a collapse.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: In a critical manner; with, or in terms of, criticism.
Used this way, critically 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
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use critically
- “This must be examined critically.”adverb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A person who is professionally engaged in the analysis and interpretation of works of art.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Antonyms
Sense: in a critical manner
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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.