critical condition

noun

plural critical conditions

medical : a serious state in which an ill or injured individual has dangerously unstable or abnormal vital signs and typically requires short-term life support measures (such as mechanical respiration or defibrillation) for stabilization and support prior to or during recovery

The man sustained serious injuries and is still unconscious and in critical condition at Salina Hope Hospital.

—Ingrid Law

A 12-year-old girl was in critical condition today at Children's Hospital with the rare but often deadly hantavirus.

—The New York Times

Examples of critical condition in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Initially, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said the injured suspect was hospitalized in critical condition. —Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2024

Scorching temperatures have left a 30-year-old woman dead and her parents in critical condition following a family hike in Utah. —Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 16 July 2024

Trump was grazed in an ear, but a man in the stands was fatally wounded and two others have been in critical condition. —Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 15 July 2024

Then as Trump railed against immigration, a shooter perched on a nearby rooftop sprayed bullets at the rally crowd, wounding Trump’s ear, killing one crowd member, and sending two more people to the hospital in critical condition. —Jennifer Mercieca, TIME, 15 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

critical condition

noun

: a serious medical state in which an ill or injured individual has dangerously unstable or abnormal vital signs and typically requires short-term life support measures (such as mechanical respiration or defibrillation) for stabilization and support prior to or during recovery

The safe transport of infants in critical condition requires highly reliable inter-professional transport teams that are equipped with the expertise to provide neonatal care in unfamiliar and resource-limited environments.

—Douglas M. Campbell and Rita Dadiz, Seminars in Perinatology

The large number of patients with COVID-19, suspected cases, hospitalizations, and patients in critical condition has made the medical work incredibly hard.

—Jing Huang et al., Clinical Infectious Diseases