crisis

noun

cri·​sis ˈkrī-səs 

plural crises ˈkrī-ˌsēz 

1

a

: the turning point for better or worse in an acute disease or fever

b

: a paroxysmal attack of pain, distress, or disordered function

c

: an emotionally significant event or radical change of status in a person's life

a midlife crisis

2

: the decisive moment (as in a literary plot)

The crisis of the play occurs in Act 3.

3

a

: an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending

especially : one with the distinct possibility of a highly undesirable outcome

a financial crisis

the nation's energy crisis

b

: a situation that has reached a critical phase

the environmental crisis

the unemployment crisis

Did you know?

Semantic Crisis Intervention

Some people are bothered by changes in a word’s meaning (see: literally), while others have a more relaxed attitude towards semantic drift. For those who feel vexed when a word seems to have suddenly changed its spots, it may be of some comfort to know that words in English do this all the time; crisis is a fine example. Originally, crisis denoted “the turning point for better or worse in an acute disease or fever.” Now it most commonly means “a difficult or dangerous situation that needs serious attention,” yet few people insist that it should be used exclusively in its older meaning. The normality of semantic change can be seen in another word that first appeared in febrile contexts: hectic, which now is primarily used to mean “very busy,” originally referred to a fever that was fluctuating but recurrent.

Synonyms

• boiling point
• breaking point
• clutch
• conjuncture
• crossroad(s)
• crunch
• crunch time
• Dunkirk
• emergency
• exigency
• extremity
• flash point
• head
• juncture
• tinderbox
• zero hour

Choose the Right Synonym for crisis

juncture, exigency, emergency, contingency, pinch, strait (or straits) crisis mean a critical or crucial time or state of affairs.

juncture stresses the significant concurrence or convergence of events.

an important juncture in our country's history

exigency stresses the pressure of restrictions or urgency of demands created by a special situation.

provide for exigencies

emergency applies to a sudden unforeseen situation requiring prompt action to avoid disaster.

the presence of mind needed to deal with emergencies

contingency implies an emergency or exigency that is regarded as possible but uncertain of occurrence.

contingency plans

pinch implies urgency or pressure for action to a less intense degree than exigency or emergency.

come through in a pinch

strait, now commonly straits, applies to a troublesome situation from which escape is extremely difficult.

in dire straits

crisis applies to a juncture whose outcome will make a decisive difference.

a crisis of confidence

Examples of crisis in a Sentence

She was dealing with a family crisis at the time.

Most people blame the government for the country's worsening economic crisis.

last year's state budget crisis

In times of national crisis, we need strong leaders we can trust.

A year ago, both companies were in crisis.

Recent Examples on the Web

Even amid crises, the system generates new leaders, factions, and power centers. —Narges Bajoghli, Time, 19 June 2025

Trump is also facing growing skepticism about deepening U.S. involvement in the Mideast crisis from some of his most ardent supporters. —Arkansas Online, 19 June 2025

The nonprofit, which is dedicated to preventing suicide among LGBTQ+ youth, is one of seven centers that provides 988 crisis support services for LGBTQ+ people and responds to almost half who contact the lifeline. —Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025

Structural weakness in crisis response, strategic inertia in security and institutional caution in the face of authoritarian breakdowns all remained visible. —Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English crise, crisis, borrowed from Latin crisis "judgment, critical stage," borrowed from Greek krísis "act of separating, decision, judgment, event, outcome, turning point, sudden change," from kri-, variant stem of krī́nein "to separate, choose, decide, judge" + -sis, suffix forming nouns of action or process — more at certain entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing crisis

• hostage crisis
• identity crisis
• midlife crisis
• pre-crisis

Rhymes for crisis

• lysis
• phthisis
• ecdysis
• haemoptysis
• hemoptysis

Kids Definition

crisis

noun

cri·​sis ˈkrī-səs 

plural crises ˈkrī-ˌsēz 

1

: the turning point for better or worse in a disease

2

: a turning point (as in a person's life or in the plot of a story)

3

a

: an unstable or difficult time or state of affairs

a financial crisis

b

: a situation that has become very serious

Medical Definition

crisis

noun

cri·​sis ˈkrī-səs 

plural crises -ˌsēz 

1

: the turning point for better or worse in an acute disease or fever

especially : a sudden turn for the better (as sudden abatement in severity of symptoms or abrupt drop in temperature) compare lysis sense 1

2

: a paroxysmal attack of pain, distress, or disordered function

tabetic crisis

cardiac crisis

3

: an emotionally significant event or radical change of status in a person's life

4

: a psychological or social condition characterized by unusual instability caused by excessive stress and either endangering or felt to endanger the continuity of an individual or group

especially : such a social condition requiring the transformation of cultural patterns and values