Carl Van Doren
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In Latin, crux referred literally to an instrument of torture, often a cross or stake, and figuratively to the torture and misery inflicted by means of such an instrument. Crux eventually developed the sense of "a puzzling or difficult problem"; that was the first meaning that was used when the word entered English in the early 18th century. Later, in the late 19th century, crux began to be used more specifically to refer to an essential point of a legal case that required resolution before the case as a whole could be resolved. Today, the verdict on crux is that it can be used to refer to any important part of a problem or argument, inside or outside of the courtroom.
Examples of crux in a Sentence
Megan McCluskey, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
Pedro Pascal making his legs longer is the film’s turning point and the entire crux of this character’s arc.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 30 July 2025
That’s another crux of the problem: Wages haven’t kept up with home prices.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 23 July 2025
Littered with too many red herrings and subplots, the story leapfrogs about and prevents viewers from getting emotionally invested about solving the crime at its crux.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 17 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for crux
Cite this Entry
“Crux.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crux. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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