critical

adjective

ˈkri-ti-kəl How to pronounce critical (audio)
Definition of criticalnext
1
as in judgmental
given to making or expressing unfavorable judgments about things adults tend to be critical of teenagers' taste in music and movies

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2
as in urgent
needing immediate attention this problem isn't critical, so we can go home now and tend to it in the morning

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in crucial
of the greatest possible importance this is the critical exam that will largely determine your college career

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4
as in essential
impossible to do without critical information for an informed medical diagnosis

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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective critical contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of critical are captious, carping, censorious, faultfinding, and hypercritical. While all these words mean "inclined to look for and point out faults and defects," critical may also imply an effort to see a thing clearly and truly in order to judge it fairly.

a critical essay

When might captious be a better fit than critical?

While the synonyms captious and critical are close in meaning, captious suggests a readiness to detect trivial faults or raise objections on trivial grounds.

a captious critic

Where would carping be a reasonable alternative to critical?

The synonyms carping and critical are sometimes interchangeable, but carping implies an ill-natured or perverse picking of flaws.

a carping editorial

When could censorious be used to replace critical?

The words censorious and critical can be used in similar contexts, but censorious implies a disposition to be severely critical and condemnatory.

the censorious tone of the review

When can faultfinding be used instead of critical?

Although the words faultfinding and critical have much in common, faultfinding implies a querulous or exacting temperament.

a faultfinding reviewer

When is it sensible to use hypercritical instead of critical?

The words hypercritical and critical are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, hypercritical suggests a tendency to judge by unreasonably strict standards.

hypercritical disparagement of other people's work

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of critical This contributed to cascading problems, including critical flaws in her campaign website. —Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 9 Feb. 2026 Hochman has been critical of the way Gascón handled police prosecutions and fired Middleton almost immediately after taking office. —Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026 Lai prosecuted under China's broad new security law Lai founded Apple Daily, a now-defunct newspaper known for its critical reports against the governments in Hong Kong and Beijing. —CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026 Ultimately, the ad highlighted a critical juncture for the industry. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for critical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for critical
  1. judgmental
  2. urgent
  3. crucial
  4. essential
  5. acute
  6. key
  7. necessary
  8. particular
Adjective
  • Dive bars are often lower-pressure and less judgmental, said John Puls, a licensed psychotherapist at Full Life Comprehensive Care in Boca Raton, Florida, and an adjunct professor at Florida Atlantic University.
    — Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 6 Feb. 2026
  • Pippa is pretty judgmental about the whole thing, asking why Diana let Stephen take nudes of her in the first place.
    — Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 3 Feb. 2026
Definition of judgmental
Adjective
  • Two hours later, Ukraine’s urgent plight – the defining security crisis of Europe’s post-WW2 era - was passionately portrayed by President Volodymyr Zelensky, evoking the issue that should have been center stage breaking through the MAGA noise.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
  • This includes those who have qualified for conditional entry under the asylum and refugee laws or based on urgent humanitarian reasons, such as survivors of domestic violence or human trafficking.
    — Isa Almeida, Oklahoman, 14 Feb. 2026
Definition of urgent
Adjective
  • Trump supported Milei’s fiscal program last year with a $20-billion credit line that succeeded in calming markets and boosting Milei’s prospects in a crucial midterm election in October.
    — Isabel Debre, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
  • While Singh’s lawyer Jitender Khurana denies any political motive for his client’s paroles, his previous releases coincided with crucial state elections, fueling speculation that his freedom is a reward for the Dera’s electoral support.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
Definition of crucial
Adjective
  • Accurate alignment of these motors is essential to ensure synchronized gripper motion when folding fabric.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Remove permissions that are not essential.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of essential
Adjective
  • The death certificate listed Fisher’s cause of death as septic shock, a bacterial infection, acute kidney failure and pneumonia.
    — Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Though the consequences of the cold have been widespread and acute—travel disruptions, power outages and scores of deaths—the warm western winter will also take a toll.
    — Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 9 Feb. 2026
Definition of acute
Adjective
  • Many ideas that were rejected in the past receive new life upon a surprising new observation; many ideas that are accepted today will be overthrown when a key experimental result demonstrates its insufficiency.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 10 Feb. 2026
  • One of the key responsibilities Warren taught his pupils was how to show restraint, according to Knox.
    — Everett Eaton, jsonline.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of key
Adjective
  • During a government shutdown, all federal functions necessary for public safety, national security and protecting government property may continue, though employees work without pay.
    — Riley Beggin, Arkansas Online, 14 Feb. 2026
  • Still, some major employers either believe AI tools will make junior staff more productive, as is the case with IBM, or that challenging early-career workers was necessary to maintain a talent pipeline, as PwC argues.
    — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Definition of necessary
Adjective
  • So one person who has also been pretty locked into one particular media path, pretty much his whole life is our guest this week on the show.
    — Ben Smith, semafor.com, 14 Feb. 2026
  • This is a particular problem for Task-Ambience air conditioning (TAAC) systems.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 14 Feb. 2026
Definition of particular

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critic
critical
critically
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Cite this Entry

“Critical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/critical. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on critical

Nglish: Translation of critical for Spanish Speakers

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