critical

/'kritikəl/

Definition

Adjective:
- Involving careful judgment and evaluation: Relating to the detailed analysis and assessment of something, often to identify both merits and faults.
- Expressing adverse or disapproving comments: Marked by a tendency to find and point out flaws and errors.
- Extremely important or essential: Of the greatest importance; vital or crucial.
- Relating to a crisis or turning point: Being in or approaching a state of emergency, or forming a decisive juncture.
- (Physics/Chemistry) Relating to a point of abrupt change: At a point where a property undergoes a sudden, significant change, such as sustaining a chain reaction.

Examples of Usage

Involving judgment and evaluation:
- The professor wrote a critical analysis of the novel's themes.
- She has a critical eye for detail in design.
Expressing disapproval:
- He is often critical of government policies.
- The review was overly critical of the actor's performance.
Extremely important:
- Your support is critical to the project's success.
- This is a critical component of the engine.
Relating to a crisis:
- The patient remains in critical condition.
- The country is facing a critical shortage of medicine.
(Scientific context):
- The reactor reached critical mass.
- Water's critical temperature is 100°C at standard pressure.

Advanced Usage

"Critical of": Expressing disapproval towards someone or something.
- She was openly critical of the management's decision.
"Critical to/for": Absolutely vital or necessary for something.
- Trust is critical for a healthy relationship.
"Go critical": (In nuclear physics) To reach the state where a nuclear chain reaction is self-sustaining.
- The reactor is designed to go critical under controlled conditions.

Variants and Related Words

Critic (n): A person who judges, evaluates, or analyzes literary or artistic works, or someone who finds fault.
Criticism (n): The act of analyzing and judging merits and faults, or the expression of disapproval.
Critically (adv): In a critical manner; to a crucial degree.
- He was critically injured in the accident. (severely)
- She examined the data critically. (with careful analysis)
Critique (n/v): A detailed evaluation or assessment; to analyze and evaluate in detail.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Idioms and Phrases

Critical acclaim: Widespread praise and approval from reviewers.
- The film received critical acclaim at the festival.
Critical mass: The minimum amount needed to start or sustain an activity or process.
- The startup needed to reach a critical mass of users to be viable.
At a critical juncture: At a very important or decisive point.
- The negotiations are at a critical juncture.

Adjective

of or involving or characteristic of critics or criticism
- critical acclaim
being in or verging on a state of crisis or emergency
- a critical shortage of food
- a critical illness
- an illness at the critical stage
forming or having the nature of a turning point or crisis
- a critical point in the campaign
- the critical test
urgently needed; absolutely necessary
- a critical element of the plan
- critical medical supplies
- vital for a healthy society
- of vital interest
characterized by careful evaluation and judgment
- a critical reading
- a critical dissertation
- a critical analysis of Melville's writings
at or of a point at which a property or phenomenon suffers an abrupt change especially having enough mass to sustain a chain reaction
- a critical temperature of water is 100 degrees C--its boiling point at standard atmospheric pressure
- critical mass
- go critical
marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws
- a critical attitude

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