critical

crit·i·cal  (krt-kl)

adj.

1. Inclined to judge severely and find fault.

2. Characterized by careful, exact evaluation and judgment: a critical reading.

3. Of, relating to, or characteristic of critics or criticism: critical acclaim; a critical analysis of Melville's writings.

4. Forming or having the nature of a turning point; crucial or decisive: a critical point in the campaign.

5.

a. Of or relating to a medical crisis: an illness at the critical stage.

b. Being or relating to a grave physical condition especially of a patient.

6. Indispensable; essential: a critical element of the plan; a second income that is critical to the family's well-being.

7. Being in or verging on a state of crisis or emergency: a critical shortage of food.

8. Fraught with danger or risk; perilous.

9. Mathematics Of or relating to a point at which a curve has a horizontal tangent line, as at a maximum or minimum.

10. Chemistry & Physics Of or relating to the value of a measurement, such as temperature, at which an abrupt change in a quality, property, or state occurs: A critical temperature of water is 100°C, its boiling point at standard atmospheric pressure.

11. Physics Capable of sustaining a nuclear chain reaction.

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criti·cal·ly adv.

criti·cal·ness n.

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critical

Adjective

1. very important or dangerous: this was a critical moment in her career

2. so seriously ill or injured as to be in danger of dying: he is in a critical condition in hospital

3. fault-finding or disparaging: the article is highly critical of the government

4. examining and judging analytically and without bias: he submitted the plans to critical examination

5. of a critic or criticism

6. Physics denoting a constant value at which the properties of a system undergo an abrupt change: the critical temperature above which the material loses its superconductivity

7. (of a nuclear power station or reactor) having reached a state in which a nuclear chain reaction becomes self-sustaining

critically adv

Thesaurus

Adj.	1.	critical - marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws; "a critical attitude" unfavorable, unfavourable - not encouraging or approving or pleasing; "unfavorable conditions"; "an unfavorable comparison"; "unfavorable comments", "unfavorable impression" sarcastic - expressing or expressive of ridicule that wounds uncritical - not critical; not tending to find or call attention to errors; "a devoted and almost uncritical admirer"
	2.	critical - 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" chemical science, chemistry - the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions natural philosophy, physics - the science of matter and energy and their interactions; "his favorite subject was physics" noncritical - not critical; not at a point of abrupt change
	3.	critical - characterized by careful evaluation and judgment; "a critical reading"; "a critical dissertation"; "a critical analysis of Melville's writings" discerning - having or revealing keen insight and good judgment; "a discerning critic"; "a discerning reader" scholarly - characteristic of scholars or scholarship; "scholarly pursuits"; "a scholarly treatise"; "a scholarly attitude" uncritical, noncritical - marked by disregard for critical standards or procedures; "news sources reflected uncritical estimates of the number of juvenile addicts"
	4.	critical - urgently needed; absolutely necessary; "a critical element of the plan"; "critical medical supplies"; "vital for a healthy society"; "of vital interest" vital indispensable - not to be dispensed with; essential; "foods indispensable to good nutrition"
	5.	critical - forming or having the nature of a turning point or crisis; "a critical point in the campaign"; "the critical test" decisive crucial, important - of extreme importance; vital to the resolution of a crisis; "a crucial moment in his career"; "a crucial election"; "a crucial issue for women"
	6.	critical - 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" crucial, important - of extreme importance; vital to the resolution of a crisis; "a crucial moment in his career"; "a crucial election"; "a crucial issue for women" noncritical, noncrucial - not in a state of crisis or emergency
	7.	critical - of or involving or characteristic of critics or criticism; "critical acclaim"

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critical

adjective 1. crucial, decisive, momentous, deciding, pressing, serious, vital, psychological, urgent, all-important, pivotal, high-priority, now or never << OPPOSITE unimportant

adjective 2. grave, serious, dangerous, acute, risky, hairy (slang) precarious, perilous << OPPOSITE safe

adjective 3. disparaging, disapproving, scathing, derogatory, nit-picking (informal) censorious, cavilling, fault-finding, captious, carping, niggling << OPPOSITE complimentary

adjective 4. analytical, penetrating, discriminating, discerning, diagnostic, perceptive, judicious, accurate, precise << OPPOSITE undiscriminating

Translations

critical [ˈkrɪtɪkl] adj (gen) → crítico; [illness] → grave;

to be critical of sb/sth → criticar a algn/algo

critical [ˈkrɪtɪkl] critic adj → critique;

to be critical of sb/sth → critiquer qn/qch

critical [ˈkrɪtɪkl] critic adj → kritisch;

to be critical of sb/sth critic → jdn/etw kritisieren;

he is in a critical condition → sein Zustand ist kritisch

critical [ˈkrɪtɪkl] adj → critico/a;

to be critical of sb/sth → criticare qn/qc, essere critico verso qn/qc