1
2
3
4

Try This Instead

For
Try This
critical thinking
logical thinking
strategic thinking
crucial thinking
rational thinking
analytical thinking
a critical point
a crucial point
a vital point
a climactic point
an analytical point
a climatic point
critical importance
crucial importance
major importance
significant importance
essential importance
extreme importance
a critical review
a skeptical review
a careful review
a cynical review
a negative review
an analytical review
a critical period
an important period
a significant period
a definitive period
an essential period
a pivotal period

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective critical contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of critical are captious, carping, censorious, faultfinding, and hypercritical. While all these words 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

When might captious be a better fit than critical?

While the synonyms captious and critical are close in meaning, captious suggests a readiness to detect trivial faults or raise objections on trivial grounds.

a captious critic

Where would carping be a reasonable alternative to critical?

The synonyms carping and critical are sometimes interchangeable, but carping implies an ill-natured or perverse picking of flaws.

a carping editorial

When could censorious be used to replace critical?

The words censorious and critical can be used in similar contexts, but censorious implies a disposition to be severely critical and condemnatory.

the censorious tone of the review

When can faultfinding be used instead of critical?

Although the words faultfinding and critical have much in common, faultfinding implies a querulous or exacting temperament.

a faultfinding reviewer

When is it sensible to use hypercritical instead of critical?

The words hypercritical and critical are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, hypercritical suggests a tendency to judge by unreasonably strict standards.

hypercritical disparagement of other people's work

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of critical Bondi's credibility is shot at a time when DOJ's ability to defend the country and the administration are at a critical juncture. Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 July 2025 The platform’s growing critical acclaim mirrors the rise of other streaming services that have reshaped the awards landscape in recent years. Clayton Davis, Variety, 15 July 2025 Most recently garnering critical acclaim for her starring role opposite Nicholas Hoult and Bill Skarsgård in Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, Depp is repped by CAA, Markham, Froggatt & Irwin, Agence Adequat, and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 15 July 2025 Em Out arrived to critical acclaim, with some hailing it as an instant classic and contender for album of the year. Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 15 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for critical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for critical
Adjective
  • In ‘Pics,’ Alison belongs to a group chat that functions like a judgmental Greek chorus.
    Book Marks July 17, Literary Hub, 17 July 2025
  • For people who feel marginalized, powerless, or cut off from the elite—like much of Gen Z—bots seem less judgmental than humans and thus give their users more agency.
    Yasmin Green, Foreign Affairs, 7 July 2025
Adjective
  • Ra’s faith in cosmic travel put him at odds with other prominent African American figures of the period, who saw the space race as a distraction from the more urgent struggles of the civil rights era.
    Ekow Eshun July 11, Literary Hub, 11 July 2025
  • At least four foreign nationals have tried within the last month to unlawfully enter the U.S. through the San Ysidro Port of Entry using ambulances as cover and posing as patients in need of urgent medical attention, according to court documents in four federal criminal cases.
    Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 July 2025
Adjective
  • Therefore, long-term planning can play a crucial role in unlocking the financial flexibility that helps to allow retirees to sleep well at night, free from the fear of depleting their nest egg.
    Wes Moss, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025
  • Attorneys make a crucial difference for a child or a teen.
    Nicol León, AZCentral.com, 22 July 2025
Adjective
  • The truth is, digestion is an essential part of the wellness and health conversation.
    Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 15 July 2025
  • American officials suggested that the essential issue was one of human judgment.
    Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
Adjective
  • Since then, more than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, according to Reuters, and millions are suffering from acute malnutrition, starvation and illness.
    Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 12 July 2025
  • Advertisement The challenge is particularly acute for first-generation students or those from lower-income households, who are much less likely to know about high-quality postsecondary options than those whose parents went to college.
    Maria Flynn, Time, 11 July 2025
Adjective
  • Those were key questions Friday night during the mostly crowd-pleasing 2025 Happy Together Tour performance at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay.
    George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 July 2025
  • An e-sports organization could adapt the platform to reward players with food deliveries after hitting key milestones during marathon tournaments.
    Daphne Ewing-Chow, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025
Adjective
  • The data needs to be accessible and running in sync across necessary components within the system, not operating in a silo.
    Lori Schafer, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
  • Successful entrepreneurs focus on their core strengths and stay centered, adjusting only when necessary (or when metaphorically getting kicked in the ribs).
    JJ Rosen, The Tennessean, 15 July 2025
Adjective
  • Is there any particular song that a band member fights for?
    Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2025
  • That’s not the fault of Boll & Branch, that is just how this particular cotton weave works.
    Jessica Hartshorn, Flow Space, 14 July 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Critical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/critical. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on critical

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!