critical

adjective

crit·​i·​cal ˈkri-ti-kəl 

1

a

: inclined to criticize severely and unfavorably

Don't be so critical. This is just a first attempt.

They were critical of the new policies.

see also self-critical

b

: consisting of or involving criticism

a critical essay

c

: of or relating to the judgment of critics

The album was a critical success.

Her performance garnered her critical acclaim and several award nominations, including at the Emmys.

—Brendan Le

d

: exercising or involving careful judgment or judicious evaluation

a critical commentary on the mayor's proposal

We need to look at these proposed changes with a critical eye before we accept them.

see also critical race theory, critical thinking

e

: including variant readings and scholarly corrections

a critical edition

2

a

: of, relating to, or being a turning point or specially important juncture

a critical decision

: such as

(1)

: being or relating to an illness or condition involving danger of death

hospitalized with a critical illness

He suffered critical injuries in the accident.

see also critical care

(2)

: relating to or being the stage of a disease at which an abrupt change for better or worse may be expected

the critical phase of dengue fever

(3)

: relating to or being a state, measurement, or point at which a definite change occurs

critical temperature

b

: of great importance or necessity : essential, vital

a critical waterfowl habitat

a component critical to the machine's operation

Sleep is critical for the body to repair itself and recharge.

—Ebony Williams

c

: being in or approaching a state of crisis

a critical shortage

a critical situation

d

: crucial, decisive

a critical test

Additionally, the researchers also pinpointed the neurons in the brain that are critical to how the receptor regulates appetite.

—Joshua Hawkins

3

a

: of sufficient size to sustain a particular result (such as chain reaction)

—used of a mass of fissionable material

a critical amount of plutonium

see also critical mass

b

: sustaining a nuclear chain reaction

The reactor went critical.

critically

ˈkri-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

a critically ill patient

The author's texts were examined critically.

They taught me to think critically about books.

Then, the crocodiles were classified critically endangered in hopes of reducing the number lost to poaching.

—Julia Gomez

criticalness

ˈkri-ti-kəl-nəs 

noun

The criticalness of the situation called for quick action.

How early winter arrives will determine the criticalness of planting date.

—Ed Lentz

Synonyms of critical

• judgmental
• rejective
• particular
• hypercritical
• overcritical
• captious
• faultfinding
• demanding

Choose the Right Synonym for critical

critical, hypercritical, faultfinding, captious, carping, censorious mean inclined to look for and point out faults and defects.

critical may also imply an effort to see a thing clearly and truly in order to judge it fairly.

a critical essay

hypercritical suggests a tendency to judge by unreasonably strict standards.

hypercritical disparagement of other people's work

faultfinding implies a querulous or exacting temperament.

a faultfinding reviewer

captious suggests a readiness to detect trivial faults or raise objections on trivial grounds.

a captious critic

carping implies an ill-natured or perverse picking of flaws.

a carping editorial

censorious implies a disposition to be severely critical and condemnatory.

the censorious tone of the review

synonyms see in addition acute

Examples of critical in a Sentence

The program presents a critical analysis of the government's strategies.

She has a talent for critical thinking.

We need to look at these proposed changes with a critical eye before we accept them.

Recent Examples on the Web

New Yorkers have always risen to critical moments—demanding not perfection, but courage and connection. —Sally Susman, Time, 5 Nov. 2025

Air traffic controllers and other safety-critical employees are working without pay while the government is shut down, and advocates have warned since the shutdown started that situation becomes more untenable the longer those employees go without a paycheck. —Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025

More generally, for every meal that a food bank provides, SNAP covers nine meals, and thus emergency food assistance, while critical, falls far short of filling the monthly grocery basket of SNAP households. —Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025

Throughout much of Tame Impala‘s career, the Australian psych-rock group has been a critical darling as its following and stages have both increased in size. —Josh Glicksman, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

in sense "being at a turning point," from 16th-17th century cretike, criticke "at a turning point" (Middle English cretic, borrowed from Late Latin criticus "at a turning point, decisive," borrowed from Greek kritikós, taken as derivative of krísis crisis, replacing earlier krísimos) + -al entry 1; in sense "inclined to criticize, involving criticism," from critic entry 1 + -al entry 1 — more at critic entry 1

First Known Use

1556, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Phrases Containing critical

• critical angle
• critical care
• critical care unit
• critical condition
• critical faculties
• critical mass
• critical point
• critical race theory
• critical region
• critical thinking
• critical value
• form-critical
• on the critical list
• self-critical

Rhymes for critical

• analytical
• apolitical
• diacritical
• hypercritical
• hypocritical
• nonpolitical
• parasitical
• supercritical
• geopolitical
• levitical
• noncritical
• political

Kids Definition

critical

adjective

crit·​i·​cal ˈkrit-i-kəl 

1

a

: inclined to criticize unfavorably

b

: consisting of or involving criticism or the judgments of critics

critical writings

c

: using or involving careful judgment

a critical examination of a patient

2

a

: of, relating to, or being a turning point

the critical phase of a fever

also : being at a stage of illness involving danger of death

b

: being or relating to a state or point at which a definite change occurs

the critical temperature

c

: crucial sense 1

a critical test

3

: indispensable, vital

provides critical services

4

: of big enough size to keep a chain reaction going

—used of a mass of material that can go through fission

critically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

criticalness

-kəl-nəs 

noun

Medical Definition

critical

adjective

crit·​i·​cal ˈkrit-i-kəl 

1

: being or relating to an illness or condition involving danger of death

critical care

a critical head injury

see also critical condition

2

: relating to, indicating, or being the stage of a disease at which an abrupt change for better or worse may be anticipated with reasonable certainty

the critical phase of dengue fever

critically

-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

critically ill