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critical

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of critical

1 given to making or expressing unfavorable judgments about things

  • adults tend to be critical of teenagersʼ taste in music and movies
Synonyms of critical

captious, carping, caviling (or cavilling), faultfinding, hypercritical, judgmental, overcritical, rejective
Words Related to critical

discerning, discriminating, judicious

demanding, exacting, fastidious, finical, finicky, fussy, nitpicky, particular, picky

pettifogging, quibbling

harsh, merciless, uncharitable, unforgiving
Near Antonyms of critical

undiscriminating

undemanding, unfussy

charitable, forgiving
Antonyms of critical

uncritical

2 needing immediate attention

  • this problem isnʼt critical, so we can go home now and tend to it in the morning
Synonyms of critical

acute, burning, clamant, compelling, crying, dire, emergent, exigent, imperative, imperious, importunate, instant, necessitous, pressing, urgent
Words Related to critical

demanding, extreme, immediate, insistent, intense, overriding

crucial, desperate, grave, life-and-death (also life-or-death), serious, severe, vital

dangerous, explosive, hazardous, perilous, precarious, unstable
Near Antonyms of critical

incidental, low-pressure, minor, negligible, trivial, unimportant

nonthreatening, safe, stable
Antonyms of critical

noncritical, nonurgent

3 of the greatest possible importance

  • this is the critical exam that will largely determine your college career
Synonyms of critical

crucial, key, pivotal, vital
Words Related to critical

decisive, life-and-death (also life-or-death), weighty

basic, elementary, fundamental

essential, indispensable, necessary, requisite

pressing, urgent
Near Antonyms of critical

inconsequential, insignificant, minor, trivial, unimportant

4 impossible to do without

  • critical information for an informed medical diagnosis
Synonyms of critical

all-important, essential, imperative, indispensable, integral, must-have, necessary, necessitous, needed, needful, required, requisite, vital
Words Related to critical

prerequisite

compulsory, mandatory, nonelective, obligatory

consequential, crucial, important, major, material, meaningful, momentous, significant, substantial, weighty

basic, central, fundamental, key, organic

insistent, persistent, pressing, urgent
Phrases Synonymous with critical

of the essence
Near Antonyms of critical

undesired, unwanted

inconsequential, insignificant, unimportant

excess, external, extra, extraneous, superfluous, surplus
Antonyms of critical

dispensable, inessential, needless, nonessential, unessential, unnecessary, unneeded

Synonym Discussion of 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

Learn More about critical

  1. Dictionary: Definition of critical Medical Dictionary: Definition of critical Spanish Central: Translation of critical Nglish: Translation of critical for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of critical for Arabic speakers

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