crisis

noun

cri·sis ˈkrī-səs

plural crises ˈkrī-ˌsēz

Synonyms of crisis next

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

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

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

a midlife crisis

: the decisive moment (as in a literary plot)

The crisis of the play occurs in Act 3.

: 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

: 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.

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

Example Sentences

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 The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ young people, noted the prevalence of deaths by suicide among LGBTQ youth. —

Paradise Afshar, CNN, 18 Mar. 2023 These and other findings from The Post’s partnership trace the contours of a troubling ripple effect from the country’s worst public health crisis in a century. —

Amy Goldstein, Dan Keating, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Mar. 2023 Op/Ed:Indiana needs comprehensive crisis response system. —

Johnny Magdaleno, The Indianapolis Star, 17 Mar. 2023 The consequences of the global health crisis have impacted this production again, but this time in a positive way. —

David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2023 According to Krudys, Otieno was experiencing a mental health crisis and a neighbor called police over concerns about him gathering lawn lights from a yard. —

Sarah Rankin, ajc, 17 Mar. 2023 The growing mental health crisis isn’t necessarily shocking. —

L'oreal Thompson Payton, Fortune Well, 17 Mar. 2023 After four seasons and a world-wide health crisis, Ambrose says that saying goodbye to Dorothy and Servant is a difficult process. —

Justin Kirkland, ELLE, 17 Mar. 2023 The bill would impact communities beyond the public health crisis. —

Josephine Peterson, Dallas News, 17 Mar. 2023 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crisis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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

Time Traveler

The first known use of crisis was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Crisis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crisis. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.

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Kids Definition

crisis

noun

cri·sis ˈkrī-səs

plural crises ˈkrī-ˌsēz

: the turning point for better or worse in a disease

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

: an unstable or difficult time or state of affairs

a financial crisis

: a situation that has become very serious

Medical Definition

crisis

noun

cri·sis ˈkrī-səs

plural crises -ˌsēz

: 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

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

tabetic crisis

cardiac crisis

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

: 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