crux

noun

ˈkrəks How to pronounce crux (audio)
Definition of cruxnext
as in essence
the central part or aspect of something under consideration the crux of the problem is that the school's current budget is totally inadequate

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 crux The main crux of his thesis depends on the open primaries where independent voters could swing elections, not closed Democratic primaries. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 6 July 2026 This doesn’t apply only to the mobile suit battles but to the film’s emotional crux, the relationship between Gigi and Hathaway. — Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 19 May 2026 The noise reached its crux during the Oklahoma State game, after which — coincidentally or not — Peterson started playing more. — Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 17 Mar. 2026 And midway up the ascent, Herson encountered an unbelievably challenging crux. — Frederick Dreier, Outside, 16 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for crux
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crux
  1. essence
  2. root
  3. core
  4. heart
  5. point
  6. kernel
Noun
  • Joseph Zada is beyond impressive in a highly demanding role that pushes him to the limit physically and emotionally, perfectly capturing the essence of Haymitch with all the sympathy, charm and bitterness Woody Harrelson brought to the role.
    — Zack Sharf, Variety, 29 Oct. 2026
  • First, the essence of each brand tends to manifest in aesthetics and interaction models.
    — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of essence
Noun
  • Becoming the first Latino directly elected to California’s highest office is a distinction Becerra was reluctant to promote on the campaign trail, preferring instead to focus on his humble roots.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The root of Wilson’s resentment is that he was charmed by the pods version of Wilnie, who was temporarily free from real-life concerns and whose only job was to banter with him through a wall.
    — Emma Sharpe, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of root
Noun
  • The backstory The first Mandarin Oriental hotel—then called The Mandarin—opened its doors in Hong Kong in 1963 and has remained central to the hotel group’s core values, despite global expansion.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The Acer laptop earned top marks in both the Cinebench and Geekbench single-core CPU tests, and came in a respectable second place for the Cinebench multi-core and HandBrake video conversion tests.
    — Marshall Honorof, PC Magazine, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of core
Noun
  • During a recent interview with Fox News Digital, James, 32, opened up about how the project became a deeply personal way to reconnect with Bill, who passed away in February 2017 following heart surgery.
    — Ashley Hume , Larry Fink, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Sola Media managing director Solveig Langeland said mixing humor and heart has always sat at the center of the studio’s storytelling, backed by its skill at bringing characters to life through strong voice casts.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of heart
Noun
  • Cooper is going into election night with polls giving him about an 11-point advantage.
    — David Raynor, Charlotte Observer, 4 Nov. 2026
  • To that point, some advisers indicated to Semafor that the results rolling in so far were not surprising to them.
    — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of point
Noun
  • The October run identified 948, more than five times as many, despite three months of additional kernel hardening.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Nov. 2026
  • OpenAI says researchers used GPT-6 Cyber to find 81 previously unknown, high-severity Firefox vulnerabilities and develop working exploits for 948 Linux kernel vulnerabilities, including 588 previously unknown flaws.
    — Wen Shao, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of kernel

Browse Nearby Words

crutches
crux
cruxes
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Cite this Entry

“Crux.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crux. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about crux

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