Critical

Today's Word:CRITICAL

1.
inclined to find fault or to judge with severity, often too readily.
2.
occupied with or skilled in criticism.
3.
involving skillful judgment as to truth, merit, etc.; judicial: a critical analysis.
4.
of or pertaining to critics or criticism: critical essays.
5.
providing textual variants, proposed emendations, etc.: a critical edition of Chaucer.
6.
pertaining to or of the nature of a crisis: a critical shortage of food.
7.
of decisive importance with respect to the outcome; crucial: a critical moment.
8.
of essential importance; indispensable: a critical ingredient.
9.
Medicine/Medical. (of a patient's condition) having unstable and abnormal vital signs and other unfavorable indicators, as loss of appetite, poor mobility, or unconsciousness.
10.
Physics.
a.
pertaining to a state, value, or quantity at which one or more properties of a substance or system undergo a change.

11.
marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws; "a critical attitude" [ant: uncritical]
2.
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" [ant: noncritical]
3.
characterized by careful evaluation and judgment; "a critical reading"; "a critical dissertation"; "a critical analysis of Melville's writings"
4.
urgently needed; absolutely necessary; "a critical element of the plan"; "critical medical supplies"; "vital for a healthy society"; "of vital interest"
5.
forming or having the nature of a turning point or crisis; "a critical point in the campaign"; "the critical test"
6.
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"7.
of or involving or characteristic of critics or criticism; "critical acclaim"