Synonyms for critical
ˈkrɪt ɪ kəlcrit·i·cal

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. critical

   That is minute which is of exceedingly limited dimensions, as a grain of dust, or which attends to matters of exceedingly slight amount or apparent importance; as, a minute account; minute observation. That which is broken up into minute particles is said to be comminuted; things may be termed fine which would not be termed comminuted; as, fine sand; fine gravel; but, in using the adverb, we say a substance is finely comminuted, comminuted referring more to the process, fine to the result. An account extended to very minute particulars is circumstantial, detailed, particular; an examination so extended is critical, exact, precise. Compare FINE.

   See synonyms for LARGE.

   Synonyms:
   circumstantial, comminuted, detailed, diminutive, exact, fine, little, minute, particular, precise, slender, small, tiny

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.0 / 2 votes

1. critical

   Synonyms:
   nice, delicate, exact, fastidious, discriminating, censorious, accurate, dubious, precarious, ticklish, crucial, important, momentous, hazardous

   Antonyms:
   inexact, popular, loose, easy, undiscriminating, safe, determined, decided, settled, retrieved, redressed

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:4.5 / 8 votes

1. criticaladjective

   marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws

   "a critical attitude"

   Synonyms:
   decisive, vital

   Antonyms:
   uncritical, noncritical, dispensable, acritical, noncrucial

2. criticaladjective

   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"

   Synonyms:
   decisive, vital

   Antonyms:
   noncritical, acritical, noncrucial, dispensable, uncritical

3. criticaladjective

   characterized by careful evaluation and judgment

   "a critical reading"; "a critical dissertation"; "a critical analysis of Melville's writings"

   Synonyms:
   decisive, vital

   Antonyms:
   dispensable, noncrucial, uncritical, acritical, noncritical

4. critical, vitaladjective

   urgently needed; absolutely necessary

   "a critical element of the plan"; "critical medical supplies"; "vital for a healthy society"; "of vital interest"

   Synonyms:
   decisive, lively, full of life, life-sustaining, vital

   Antonyms:
   acritical, uncritical, dispensable, noncritical, noncrucial

5. critical, decisiveadjective

   forming or having the nature of a turning point or crisis

   "a critical point in the campaign"; "the critical test"

   Synonyms:
   decisive, vital

   Antonyms:
   uncritical, noncritical, noncrucial, dispensable, acritical

6. criticaladjective

   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"

   Synonyms:
   decisive, vital

   Antonyms:
   acritical, noncritical, uncritical, dispensable, noncrucial

7. criticaladjective

   of or involving or characteristic of critics or criticism

   "critical acclaim"

   Synonyms:
   decisive, vital

   Antonyms:
   uncritical, noncritical, noncrucial, acritical, dispensable

Matched Categories

1. • Chemistry
   • Physics

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. criticaladjective

   Synonyms:
   exact, nice, accurate

2. criticaladjective

   Synonyms:
   censorious, carping, cavilling, captious

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:1.5 / 2 votes

1. criticaladjective

   Synonyms:
   discriminating, fastidious, carping, censorious, captious, caviling, zoilean, crucial, momentous, decisive, precarious, climacteric

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:1.0 / 1 vote

1. List of paraphrases for "critical":

   crucial, essential, criticism, decisive, critique, vital, key, critic, criticisms, fundamental, critics, important, critiques, pivotal, indispensable, criticises, serious, core, basic, sensitive, major, critically, imperative, paramount, instrumental, determinants, significant, central

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How to use critical in a sentence?

1. Philip Krause:

   That’s the critical thing, the FDA’s objective review of the data is what is providing the great, great value to the American people, because this way they know that somebody who doesn’t have a stake in the outcome has looked at the deepest possible level at these data.

2. John Neuffer:

   We applaud President Trump's tweets supporting U.S. companies being able to sell products to China and opposing proposed regulations that would unduly curtail that ability, as we have discussed with the administration, sales of non-sensitive, commercial products to China drive semiconductor research and innovation, which is critical to America's economic strength and national security.

3. Donald Tusk:

   Personally, I am very critical of many actions taken by the new authorities in Poland for many reasons, as you know, to most politicians representing the new power (in Warsaw) I am Public Enemy number 1. Not only because I am in Brussels.

4. Sebastian Rhodes Stampa:

   We're now going out on the ground, dropping people off from helicopters to determine what the critical needs are.

5. United Auto Workers:

   It's not just blood and sweat that goes into manufacturing on an assembly line, it's critical thinking that automation can't replicate.