the crux

noun

: the most important part of something (such as a problem, issue, puzzle, etc.)

—usually + of

The crux of the matter is that people are afraid of change.

It's taken a while to get to the crux of the problem, but I think I finally understand it.

Examples of the crux in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And that is the crux of the matter: to spread the good news of the gospel of Christ to those who are not like us, and to those who come from distant lands. —Sophia A. Nelson, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025

Her cameo appearances started as an Easter Egg noticed by fans, only to then grow and become the crux of the plot of the two-part finale. —Scott Bryan, Variety, 7 Apr. 2025

Prospero’s story is a powerful one, and South of Midnight ends on a suitably-thorny note, which drives home the crux of its refreshingly sincere narrative. —Sarah Thwaites, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2025

The Key Message: Use those seconds to formulate the crux of your response. —Bala Sathyanarayanan, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025

Rhymes for the crux

• deluxe
• influx
• mamluks
• redux
• woodchucks
• chucks
• ducks
• dux
• flux
• klux
• lux
• plucks