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
Ingrid LawA 12-year-old girl was in critical condition today at Children's Hospital with the rare but often deadly hantavirus.—The New York Times
The New York TimesExamples of critical condition in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Fourteen of the 17 people injured were children and two of those children were in critical condition, O'Hara said.
—Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
Emergency personnel responded to the scene and provided medical assistance to the driver, who was found in critical condition, the release said.
—Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
Two children are in critical condition, O'Hara said.
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 Aug. 2025
The other pedestrian, a man, was taken in critical condition to a hospital by ambulance.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for critical condition
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Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2025
Emergency personnel responded to the scene and provided medical assistance to the driver, who was found in critical condition, the release said.
—Aurora Beacon-News, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
Two children are in critical condition, O'Hara said.
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 27 Aug. 2025
The other pedestrian, a man, was taken in critical condition to a hospital by ambulance.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for critical condition
Cite this Entry
“Critical condition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/critical%20condition. Accessed 31 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical 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
Douglas M. Campbell and Rita Dadiz, Seminars in PerinatologyThe 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
Jing Huang et al., Clinical Infectious DiseasesLove words? Need even more definitions?
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