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
Relevance
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 real crux of the outrage against Spilsbury was her endorsement of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the November presidential election.
—
Maritza Dominguez, AZCentral.com, 4 Nov. 2025
That’s another crux of the problem: Wages haven’t kept up with home prices.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
But in a Big Ten Conference where height and physicality are king, two unproven big men could be the Bruins’ crux.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 1 Nov. 2025
Therein lies the whodunnit crux of Netflix's new psychological thriller The Woman in Cabin 10.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crux
Maritza Dominguez, AZCentral.com, 4 Nov. 2025
That’s another crux of the problem: Wages haven’t kept up with home prices.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
But in a Big Ten Conference where height and physicality are king, two unproven big men could be the Bruins’ crux.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 1 Nov. 2025
Therein lies the whodunnit crux of Netflix's new psychological thriller The Woman in Cabin 10.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crux
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crux
Noun
-
In the final few years, my dad somehow kept his essence.—
Ashley Parker,
The Atlantic,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The true essence of it for me and the program is there has to be a level of connectivity to make up for the lack of things other people may have.—
Brian Robin,
Oc Register,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The fish fry traces its roots back to 2021, when Robinson, founder of The Applesauce Group, a nonprofit that works to empower historically excluded communities, began hosting small gatherings during the uncertainty of the pandemic.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
-
What’s more, onions and other alliums have natural antibacterial properties that may inhibit the nitrogen-fixing bacteria on the roots of legume plants.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That series ended with a ruptured Achilles for superstar forward Jayson Tatum, and a battering ram taken to the extremities of a Celtics core that had claimed an NBA title just a season prior.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
If the core isn’t doing the work, the body will compensate in other ways.—
Ronnie Koenig,
SELF,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But her heart drifted toward other activities — usually whatever her brother Treston Brazile was doing, like baseball, soccer, and basketball.—
Charles Baggarly
April 7,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The camera briefly returned to the actual game — the Giants’ Landen Roupp threw a pitch to Jorge Polanco, who fouled the ball off his foot — but the booth’s hearts were clearly in the stands.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Because of this, most lawyers take their filings very seriously and are hesitant to use AI for too much at this point.—
Wendy Hickey,
Boston Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
-
UConn turned to Reed, who had 11 points in 18 first-half minutes, to end a five-minute scoring drought with a hook shot.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Those still using a 486 for one reason or another will still be able to run older Linux kernels and vintage operating systems—running old software without emulation or virtualization is one of the few reasons to keep booting up hardware this old.—
Andrew Cunningham,
ArsTechnica,
7 Apr. 2026
-
There are also mini Bowser cauldrons capable of holding five to 11 kernels of popcorn.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crux.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crux. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
