critical

Definitions

critic (judge, from Greek krinein) + -al (adj.) — literally 'having to do with judging.' That gives the analytical and fault-finding senses (critical thinking, a critical comment). But the word also absorbed meaning from crisis (krisis, turning point), so it equally means 'decisive, at a crucial juncture' (a critical moment, critical condition). One spelling, two streams of meaning.

Why It Means This

Why does one word mean both 'fault-finding' and 'crucial'? Because two Greek words merged in it: krinein (to judge) and krisis (the turning point). When you're judging, you're being critical of quality; when everything hangs on a single moment, that moment is critical. English never separated the two threads, so context does the work — about ideas, it's analytical; about a situation, it's crucial.

Common Collocations

• 1.critical thinking批判性思维
• 2.a critical role关键作用
• 3.critical condition病危状态
• 4.critical mass临界质量
• 5.highly critical of对……强烈批评
• 6.a critical moment关键时刻

Example Sentences

• 1.

  The next few hours are critical to the success of the rescue operation.

• 2.

  Reviewers were highly critical of the film's weak ending.

• 3.

  She read the report with a critical eye, questioning every assumption.

• 4.

  The patient was in critical condition after the accident.

Easily Confused

critical vs crucial — both mean 'extremely important,' but critical can also mean fault-finding or analytical (a critical review), which crucial never does. crucial is purely about importance: a crucial decision. If disapproval is involved, only critical fits.