critical (adj.)

  1. marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws; a critical attitude'

  2. at or of a point at which a property or phenomenon suffers an abrupt change especially having enough mass to sustain a chain reaction; a critical temperature of water is 100 degrees C--its boiling point at standard atmospheric pressure; critical mass; go critical'

  3. characterized by careful evaluation and judgment; a critical reading; a critical dissertation; a critical analysis of Melville's writings'

  4. being in or verging on a state of crisis or emergency; a critical shortage of food; a critical illness; an illness at the critical stage'

  5. of or involving or characteristic of critics or criticism; critical acclaim'

  6. urgently needed; absolutely necessary; a critical element of the plan; critical medical supplies; vital for a healthy society; of vital interest

    [ Syn: vital ]

  7. forming or having the nature of a turning point or crisis; a critical point in the campaign; the critical test

    [ Syn: decisive ]

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
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