criticality

noun

crit·​i·​cal·​i·​ty ˌkri-tə-ˈka-lə-tē 

: a critical quality, state, or nature

The true criticality of that basic political rationale is being demonstrated in the 1990s.

—Colin S. Gray

But the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security, in a report released Tuesday, found that the list was not child's play: all these "unusual or out-of-place" sites "whose criticality is not readily apparent" are inexplicably included in the official federal antiterrorism database.

—Eric Lipton

specifically, physics : the state in which a mass of fissionable material sustains or is able to sustain a nuclear chain reaction

Criticality can be achieved by increasing mass (adding more plutonium) or … by compressing a barely subcritical mass to increase its density.

—Daniel J. Lenihan

How big is a critical mass? That depends on the proportion of fissile material and on its shape and configuration. Surrounding the mass with a neutron-reflecting substance further reduces the size needed for criticality, by returning neutrons that would otherwise escape.

—Richard Wolfson

Examples of criticality in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Be honest about your company's core expertise and the criticality of the system to your business. —Varun Kumar, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024

Reimagining Cybersecurity: The Case For Proactive And Offensive Strategies By now, the criticality of a proactive approach in the fight against cybercrime is apparent. —Sandeep Kamble, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024

Heightening the criticality of the issue is the rising violence against nurses. —Reis Wellness Services, USA TODAY, 20 June 2024

This is a matter of criticality considering the unpredictability of Mother Nature, as demonstrated by the spike in natural calamities that is sadly complementing the accelerating global warming. —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 7 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined above