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say it: KRIT-i-kuhl
critical is an adjective meaning "marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws". It is pronounced /ˈkɹɪtɪkəl/ — KRIT-i-kuhl. It carries 7 recorded senses.
marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws
“a critical attitude”
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”
chemistry · physics
characterized by careful evaluation and judgment
“a critical reading”
“a critical dissertation”
“a critical analysis of Melville's writings”
urgently needed; absolutely necessary
“a critical element of the plan”
“critical medical supplies”
“vital for a healthy society”
“of vital interest”
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”
of or involving or characteristic of critics or criticism
“critical acclaim”
Definitions, synonyms and semantic relations for critical come from Princeton University’s WordNet. The pronunciation comes from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. Commonness is measured against a corpus of everyday English. Full sources and licences.