Thesaurus

critical

adjective

Synonyms and Antonyms of critical

1 given to making or expressing unfavorable judgments about things

adults tend to be critical of teenagers' 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

2 needing immediate attention

this problem isn't 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, instrumental, 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

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

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

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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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