critical
critical
/ˈkrɪtɪkl/
expressing disapproval
1 saying what you think is bad about somebody/something
You should just ignore any critical comments.
The supervisor is always very critical.
critical of somebody/something Some parents are highly critical of the school.
SEE ALSO self-critical
She became openly critical of party policy.
The report was highly critical of the company's poor safety record.
They issued a critical report on the government's handling of the crisis.
Collocations
verbs
bebecomeremain…
adverb
extremelyfairlyvery…
preposition
of
important
2 extremely important because a future situation will be affected by it
SYNONYM crucial
Industry leaders are working together to address this critical issue.
a critical factor in the election campaign
The kidneys play a critical role in overall health.
Reducing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is of critical importance.
critical to something Your decision is critical to our future.
critical for something Timing is critical for success.
Maintaining control of the budget is absolutely critical for success.
This reorganization is critical to the long-term future of the company.
Price and availability are the critical factors that will determine product success.
If the temperature drops those critical two degrees, the engine will stop functioning.
SEE ALSO business-critical, mission-critical
Collocations
verbs
bebecome
adverb
reallyabsolutelyincreasingly…
preposition
forto
serious/dangerous
3 serious, uncertain and possibly dangerous
One of the victims of the fire remains in a critical condition.
The first 24 hours after the operation are the most critical.
This is a critical moment in our country's history.
He's at a critical point in his life.
a critical step in the process
SEE ALSO crisis
TOPICS DangerB2
making careful judgements
4 involving making fair, careful judgements about the good and bad qualities of somebody/something
His latest film attracted enthusiastic critical comment from cinema-goers.
Mike studied the canvas with a critical eye.
of art/music/books, etc.
5 only before noun according to the judgement of critics of art, music, literature, etc. the film director’s greatest critical success
In her day she never received the critical acclaim (= praise from the critics) she deserved.
Word Origin
mid 16th cent. (in the sense ‘relating to the crisis of a disease’): from late Latin criticus, from Greek kritikos, from kritēs ‘a judge’, from krinein ‘judge, decide’.