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

Authorities said the two pilots on board the plane had been treated for injuries and released from the hospital and three remained hospitalized, with two in critical condition and one in stable condition. — Ayesha Ali, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2026

The two surviving children were in critical condition as of Sunday afternoon. — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 13 Sep. 2026

Miami Police said Miami Fire Rescue determined two of the people who were shot had died, while the third was sent to a hospital in critical condition. — Matthew Ablon, CBS News, 12 Sep. 2026

Ezra Caudell is out of a coma and communicating with his family after his crash at the Philadelphia Cycling Classic on August 30, but remains hospitalised in critical condition. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for critical condition

• superimposition
• abolition
• acquisition
• admonition
• ammunition
• apparition
• apposition
• coalition
• competition
• composition
• definition
• deglutition

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