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.

b

: consisting of or involving criticism

critical writings

also : of or relating to the judgment of critics

The play was a critical success.

c

: exercising or involving careful judgment or judicious evaluation

critical thinking

a critical commentary on the mayor's proposal

d

: including variant readings and scholarly emendations

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

critical care

hospitalized with a critical illness

The driver sustained critical injuries.

also : 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

see also critical condition

(2)

: relating to or being a state, measurement, or point in or at which some quality, property, or phenomenon suffers a definite change

critical temperature

b

: indispensable, vital

a critical waterfowl habitat

a component critical to the machine's operation

c

: being in or approaching a state of crisis

a critical shortage

a critical situation

d

: crucial, decisive

a critical test

3

a

: of sufficient size to sustain a chain reaction

—used of a mass of fissionable material

a 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.

criticalness

ˈkri-ti-kəl-nəs 

noun

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

—Ed Lentz

Synonyms

• 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

But the 21-year-old mother is worried about what the coming weeks will look like for her family as the second-longest government shutdown in US history threatens their access to a critical food assistance program. —Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025

The United States, in turn, would make major concessions on critical technologies and, perhaps, geopolitics. —Mira Rapp-Hooper, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2025

To address this need, tools such as CNAPP have been developed, platforms that provide centralized access to critical cloud security information. —Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025

While Tame Impala has never had more of a chart presence, its mainstream popularity seems almost inversely related to its critical acclaim, which is possibly at its lowest point on this new album. —Eric Renner Brown, Billboard, 28 Oct. 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
• with a critical eye

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