critical
/ˈkɹɪt.ɪ.kəl/ adjective B1- Inclined to find fault or criticize. · A good teacher is fair but critical.
- Pertaining to, or indicating, a crisis or turning point. · This is a critical moment.
- Extremely important. · It's critical that you deliver this on time.
- Relating to criticism or careful analysis, such as literary or film criticism. · The movie was a critical success, but bombed at the box-office.
- Employing or related to textual criticism, particularly through a stemmatological comparison of all extant texts and reconstruction of the original.
- Of a patient condition involving unstable vital signs and a prognosis that predicts the condition could worsen; or, a patient condition that requires urgent treatment in an intensive care or critical care medical facility. · The patient's condition is critical.
- In such a condition. · The patient is critical.· Two critical after fatal Wimbledon school crash
- Likely to go out of control if disturbed, that is, opposite of stable. · The political situation was so critical that the government declared the state of siege.
From the library
“Father,” said the young man, “I have the honor of presenting to you the Count of Monte Cristo, the generous friend whom I had the good fortune to meet in the critical situation of which I have told you.”
You come at a critical moment."
Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry in her form, he was forced to acknowledge her figure to be light and pleasing; and in spite of his asserting that her manners were not those of the fashionable world, he was caught by their easy playfulness.
As it is, I have been able to get about as I could not possibly have done had I been living in the Hall, and I remain an unknown factor in the business, ready to throw in all my weight at a critical moment.”
Other matches
Learn critical in real texts
With a free account, hover any word in the library for its meaning, hear it read aloud, save words for review timed to your memory, and see how much of each book you already know.