Main entry: critical
Definition: marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws
Usage: a critical attitude
Main entry: critical
Definition: characterized by careful evaluation and judgment
Usage: a critical reading; a critical dissertation; a critical analysis of Melville's writings
Main entry: critical
Definition: being in or verging on a state of crisis or emergency
Usage: a critical shortage of food; a critical illness; an illness at the critical stage
Main entry: critical
Definition: at or of a point at which a property or phenomenon suffers an abrupt change especially having enough mass to sustain a chain reaction
Usage: a critical temperature of water is 100 degrees C--its boiling point at standard atmospheric pressure; critical mass; go critical
Main entry: critical, decisive
Definition: forming or having the nature of a turning point or crisis
Usage: a critical point in the campaign; the critical test
Definition: urgently needed; absolutely necessary
Usage: a critical element of the plan; critical medical supplies; vital for a healthy society; of vital interest
Main entry: critical
Definition: of or involving or characteristic of critics or criticism
Usage: critical acclaim