CRITICAL

adjective Date: 1547 1. of, relating to, or being a turning point or specially important juncture , relating to or being the stage of a disease at which an abrupt change for better or worse may be expected, relating to or being a state in which or a measurement or point at which some quality, property, or phenomenon suffers a definite change , crucial , decisive , indispensable , vital , being in or approaching a state of crisis , 2. inclined to criticize severely and unfavorably, consisting of or involving criticism , exercising or involving careful judgment or judicious evaluation , including variant readings and scholarly emendations , 3. of sufficient size to sustain a chain reaction, sustaining a nuclear chain reaction , ~ity noun ~ly adverb ~ness noun Synonyms: see: ~ see: acute