criticaladj.n.
/ˈkrɪtᵻkl/, U.S. /ˈkrɪdək(ə)l/ A. adj.
I. With reference to a crisis or decisive point.
1. Chiefly Medicine. Designating a day on which a crisis of a disease, or other decisive change for better or worse, occurs or is predicted (by astrological calculations) to occur. Also (of a disease, medical condition, symptom, etc.): †that is at a crisis or indicative of a crisis, or occurs at a crisis (obsolete). Cf. earlier critic adj. 1. Now historical.For later use with reference to life-threatening illness, etc., see sense A. 2c.
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the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > [adjective] > critical
critic?c1400
judicial?1543
critical1556
decretory1577
decretorial1588
decretorian1679
the world > the universe > planet > position of planet > aspect > [adjective] > conjunction > crisis
critic?c1400
critical1556
chrysmall1647
1556 R. Record Castle of Knowl. Pref. sig. a.vi Yet hee that hathe readde in Hippocrates but that one booke of Ayer, water, and Regions, and Galen his third boke of Criticall daies, can not be ignoraunte howe necessarye an instrument Astronomy is vnto Physicke.
1600 W. Vaughan Nat. & Artific. Direct. Health v. iii. 57 The Moone..passeth almost euerie seauenth daie into the contrarie signe of the same qualitie..and..bringeth the criticall daies.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. xvii. ii. 500 The foure decretorie or criticall daies, that give the dome of olive trees, either to good or bad.
1684 tr. T. Bonet Guide Pract. Physician iii. 72 You may reckon it [sc. the Head-ach] critical, if in a Fever it fall upon a critical day.
1733 G. Cheyne Eng. Malady ii. viii. 203 And so the Fever terminates in a critical Abscess.
1753 J. Lining Let. 14 Dec. in Ess. & Observ. (Philos. Soc. Edinb.) (1756) II. 372 That fever, which continues two or three days, and terminates without any critical discharge by sweat, urine, stool, &c.
1836 U.S. Med. & Surg. Jrnl. Aug. 10/2 The critical days were also called judicial, or indicating days.
2013 M. Azzolini Duke & Stars iv. 144 Linked to astrological and numerological principles, Galen's theory of the critical days was subsequently taken up and elaborated further by various Arabic and Jewish medical authors and further popularized in shorter treatises.
2.
a. Of a particular moment, period of time, etc.: of decisive importance with regard to the outcome of a situation.
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the world > time > a suitable time or opportunity > [adjective] > critical or decisive
climacterical1587
critical1649
crucial1830
make-or-break1961
crunch1974
1649 E. Reynolds Israels Prayer (new ed.) iv. 65 Mercies are never..so seasonable as in the very turning and criticall point.
1673 tr. E. de Refuge Art of Complaisance 25 There is in the Court, as there is said to be in Love, one Critical minute.
1786 T. Jefferson Writings (1859) II. v. 5 That month, by producing new prospects, has been critical.
1849 A. Alison Hist. Europe from French Revol. (new ed.) II. vii. 216 Three hundred horse, at that critical moment, might have saved the monarchy.
1927 Amer. Mercury Feb. 140/1 I really think that a discussion of this matter of forgiveness of enemies, at this critical time, is inopportune.
2021 Herald (Scotland) (Nexis) 4 Feb. The party is at a critical juncture in its history and this leadership contest will be a defining moment.
b. Involving great uncertainty, danger, or risk; having the potential to produce a disastrous or extremely detrimental outcome.
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the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > [adjective] > insecure > precarious
parlous1558
kittle1568
tickle1569
ticklesome1585
queasy1589
ticklish1591
climacterial1606
precipitious1613
touchy1620
climacterica1633
critical1669
precarious1687
touch and go1800
dicey1950
1669 J. Evelyn Kalendarium Hortense (ed. 3) 42 Acquaint them [sc. tender-plants] gradually with the Air..for this change is the most Critical of the whole year.
1769 ‘Junius’ Stat Nominis Umbra (1772) I. iv. 39 Considering the critical situation of this country.
1836 W. Irving Astoria I. ix. 149 The relations between the United States and Great Britain were at that time in a critical state; in fact, the two countries were on the eve of a war.
1958 Times 9 Sept. 7/5 France's financial and economic situation remained critical, but was beginning to offer more hopeful prospects.
2004 Western Mail (Cardiff) (Nexis) 3 Mar. (Business section) 5 31% [of employees] felt that their bosses only dealt with workplace issues once a problem became critical.
c. Of a person: extremely ill; at risk of death; (of an illness, a sick or injured person's condition, etc.) extremely serious; life-threatening. Also: of or relating to patients who are critically ill.See also critical care n., critical list n.
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1789 World (London) 17 Mar. In these alarming and critical cases, no time is to be lost.
1826 J. Gans tr. J. J. Engel Lornez Stark II. xii. 144 His excellent method of treating his critical patient, into whose complaint he had penetrated with the most perfect accuracy.
1883 Manch. Guardian 17 Oct. 5/2 Mrs. H——'s throat was badly cut, and her condition is deemed critical.
1986 Alumni-Faculty Assoc. Bull. (School of Med., Univ. Calif.) Spring 18/2 Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.
1992 M. Williamson Return to Love ii. viii. 209 The treatment of critical illnesses.
2014 Canad. Press Newswire (Nexis) 24 Oct. (headline) Officer remains critical but stable after hatchet attack.
3. Very important or significant; crucial.See also business-critical adj., safety-critical adj., time-critical adj., etc.
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the mind > attention and judgement > testing > proof, demonstration > [adjective] > conclusive, decisive
definitivec1386
evident1421
concludent1571
deciding1577
decisive1584
decretal1608
decisory1611
concluding1620
evictive1624
silencing1646
conclusive1649
decretory1674
decretorian1679
decisional1687
critical1753
crucial1830
clinching1873–4
1753 Independent Reflector 15 Feb. 48 Many are the Diseases on which the Passions have a critical Influence.
1841–8 F. Myers Catholic Thoughts II. iv. vii. 201 The alterations..which have taken place in our conceptions of the material Universe..are critical instances of the influence which Natural Philosophy has a right to exercise over Scholastic Theology.
1976 Facts on File World News Digest (Nexis) 1 May The committee believes that there are certain American institutions whose integrity is critical to the maintenance of a free society.
1991 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 16 Mar. 628/2 Thyroid hormones have a critical role in the growth and functional development of the brain.
2002 N.Y. Beacon 24 Apr. 3 Parental involvement in their children's education is a critical factor in the success of any educational program.
4.
a. Mathematics and Physics. Relating to or characterizing a point of transition from one state, condition, etc., to another.See also critical point n.
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the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [adjective] > limit or threshold
critical1808
threshold1906
1808 W. Herschel in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 99 268 The angles at which the rays that constitute the blue bow are separated from the rest, may very properly be called critical, and the effect, which is the consequence of the oblique incidences that have been given, may with equal propriety be called a critical separation of the different coloured rays of light.
1841 J. R. Young Math Diss. Pref. 7 Even in the extreme and critical case of the problem.
1949 J. H. Dwinnell Princ. Aerodynam. vii. 163 The laminar boundary layer is inherently unstable as it approaches the critical Reynolds number.
2010 P. H. Diamond et al. Mod. Plasma Physics I. iv. 121 Strongly coupled oscillators synchronize for coupling parameters above some critical strength.
b. Nuclear Physics. Of a nuclear reactor or fuel: sustaining a steady chain reaction. Cf. subcritical adj. 4, supercritical adj. 5.See also to go critical at Phrases a.
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the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > nuclear fission > [adjective] > maintaining chain reaction
critical1947
prompt critical1954
1947 F. L. Friedman in C. Goodman Sci. & Engin. Nucl. Power I. v. 180 We found that an incorrect result is obtained by balancing the rate of change of the neutron density against the capture in extra-absorbing material placed in an original critical pile.
1955 Ann. Reg. 1954 393 At Harwell the more important news of reactors was that ‘Zephyr’ became critical in February.
2006 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 25 May 43/2 When the material becomes critical the chain reactions become self-sustaining and when it goes super-critical the material becomes explosive.
2018 R. E. Masterson Introd. Nucl. Reactor Physics i. 51 Although a reactor may initially start its life with much more fuel than it needs to stay critical, this excess fuel is what allows it to operate for long periods of time after initial criticality has been achieved.
5. Zoology and Botany. Of species: distinguished by slight or questionable differences; uncertain or difficult to determine.
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the world > life > biology > taxonomy > taxon > [adjective] > species or sub-species > distinguished by questionable differences
critical1840
1840 Ann. Nat. Hist. 4 308 In the Boschetto abound..some critical species of much interest to the British botanist, as Lotus ciliatus, Tenore, a southern form of Lotus corniculatus, Ononis antiquorum, and the Lathyrus sepium of Scopoli.
1858 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 19 i. 104 Crossing often renders certain species of plants very ‘critical’.
1948 Jrnl. Ecol. 36 324 From the plan at this stage are excluded microforms, critical species, varieties, casuals, and escapes from cultivation.
2013 V. S. A. Kumar & K. Murugan in S. Abdulhameed & A. Augustine Prospects Biosci. xl. 343 Micromorphology of vegetative and reproductive plant organs is the object of research to resolve the taxonomic problems of critical species and genera.
II. With reference to criticism.† 8. Involving or exercising careful judgement or observation; exact, precise; scrupulous; (sometimes) spec. very precise in timekeeping; punctual. Obsolete.
6. That passes judgement on a person or thing; esp. that forms or expresses a harsh or unfavourable opinion of a person or thing; that finds fault; censorious.
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the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > criticism > [adjective]
critical1565
critic1596
animadverting1606
skewing1702
the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > discernment, discrimination > criticism > [adjective] > often unfavourable
critical1565
critic1596
commenting1711
1565 W. Alley Πτωχομυσεῖον To Rdr. f. 16v If these simple Prelections chaunce peraduenture to come into the handes of some scrupulous and captious criticall reader..let him know that it is a great deale more easie to carpe other mens doinges, then to giue better of his owne.
1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream v. i. 54 That is some Satire keene and criticall . View more context for this quotation
1665 R. Boyle Occas. Refl. iii. vi. sig. R7 The more Witty and Critical sort of Auditors.
1777 W. Waring in E. Young Night Thoughts I. 116 His observations,..tho' severely critical, are sometimes just.
1881 J. Russell Haigs of Bemersyde Introd. 3 It was not in his nature to be either critical or indifferent.
1957 Monumenta Nipponica 13 369 An attitude so critical that it approaches rancorousness.
2019 Irish Times (Nexis) 28 Nov. (Finance section) 1 The council has been repeatedly critical of the Government's failure to stick to its budgetary plans.
7.
a. That engages in or is skilled in the analysis or evaluation of something, esp. literary texts or other creative works; (sometimes) spec. that is skilled in the scholarly investigation of biblical texts.
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the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > discernment, discrimination > criticism > [adjective]
critical1584
critic1586
judicial1589
balancing1850
1584 R. Cosin Answer to Two Fyrst & Principall Treat. sig. A5 I muse how this could so escape the criticall and Lynceus eyes of such an Aristarchus.
1641 J. Jackson True Evangelical Temper i. 69 The Millenaries, a sect of learned, and criticall Christians.
1778 Morning Post & Daily Advertiser 8 Dec. Perhaps some of your critical or poetical correspondents, may think it worth while to solve the meaning of the latter line.
1890 Church Rev. July 276 In company with most critical commentators on books of the New Testament, Bishop Ellicott has one fault.
1983 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 15 Dec. Her compelling performance as St. Joan..earned the praise of Toronto's critical reviewers.
2006 H. W. Attridge HarperCollins Study Bible (rev. ed.) p. xlii Critical scholars have also reconstructed the history of ancient Israel and of the early church using the biblical text and other ancient evidence.
b. Of, relating to, or involving the analysis or evaluation of something, esp. literary texts or other creative works; of or relating to critics or criticism.See also critical edition n.
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1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning ii. f. 69 There remayn two Appendices touching the tradition of knowledge, The one Criticall, The other Pedanticall.
1741 C. Middleton Hist. Life Cicero II. viii. 237 Cæsar was conversant also with the most abstruse and critical parts of learning.
1768 W. Gilpin Ess. Prints 169 How far the works of Hogarth will bear a critical examination, may be the subject of a little more enquiry.
1843 T. B. Macaulay (title) Critical and historical essays.
1867 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest I. App. 617 He shows a good deal of critical acumen.
1933 Devon & Exeter Gaz. 7 Apr. 2/4 With..Charles Laughton in the characterisation which won him critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic.
1983 Which? Dec. (Publications Suppl.) For an accurate description of over 200 wine bars across the country, this section of the book is unbeatable, with critical comments on the range of wines..and perceptive summing-up of the atmosphere.
2012 M. A. Santamaría in Zeitschr. f. Papyrologie u. Epigraphik 182 55 (title) Critical notes to the Orphic poem of the Derveni papyrus.
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the world > time > a suitable time or opportunity > punctuality > [adjective]
seelyc1200
critical1617
punctual1632
prepunctual1890
on time1891
punctiliar1906
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > freedom from error, correctness > exactness, accuracy, precision > [adjective] > characterized by precision
rightOE
curious1526
critical1617
scrupulous1638
primsy1786
focused1892
1617 S. Collins Epphata to F. T. i. 5 Wil you blame me as too criticall for distinguishing betweene gerere and gestare?
1650 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica (ed. 2) ii. v. 68 Exact and criticall triall should be made..whereby determination might be setled.
1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 186 He is not Criticall and exact in Garbes and Fashions.
1701 C. Cibber Love makes Man v. 53 Well, Madam, you see I'm punctual..I'm always critical—to a Minute.
1775 Northampton Mercury 20 Mar. A very critical and exact Inquisition was made into the present State of his two large Chests.
9. Philosophy. In Kantian and other Idealist uses: describing the Kantian approach to philosophy and (later) other philosophies similarly founded on the criticism (as opposed to the justification) of knowledge.See also critical idealism n.
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1797 tr. J. S. Beck (title) The principles of critical philosophy.
1832 A. Johnson tr. W. G. Tennemann Man. Hist. Philos. iii. 405 The grand conclusion of the Critical system of Kant is this, that no object can be known to us except in proportion as it is apprehended by our perceptions, and definable by our faculties for knowledge; consequently, we know nothing per se, but only by means of its phenomena.
1872 J. P. Mahaffy tr. I. Kant Prolegomena in Kant's Crit. Philos. III. 62 I now retract it [sc. the word ‘transcendental’], and desire this idealism of mine to be called critical.
1937 Mind 46 253 This book should prove stimulating to scientists, methodologists, and philosophers of all kinds, speculative, critical, or logico-positivist.
2003 Jrnl. Relig. 83 532 Schlegel opposed Absolute Idealism with a critical philosophy that established the limits of knowledge and propounded the unknowability of the Absolute.
B. n.
1. With the and plural agreement. Critical people (see senses A. 6, A. 7a) considered collectively; censorious people; discerning or judicious people.
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1719 W. L. Coll. Tunes Ded. sig. A2v/1 It has been the Fate of better Performances than this, to pass under the severe Censures of the Critical.
1785 Crit. Rolliad (rev. ed.) 66 The person of the name of Joe..will be recognised by the critical and the intelligent, as..Mr. Joseph Miller; a great genius, and an author.
1850 Morning Chron. 25 Dec. 7/4 His opinions..have weight; and we doubt not will be duly estimated by the critical and the judicious.
1979 Daily Tel. 31 July 24/6 Only the critical would complain of the playing standards.
2010 Identity (Nexis) 19 Oct. The critical will—and do—say that it's image-heavy and content-light, but it's certainly a beautiful coffee table book.
2. That which is critical (see senses A. 7b, A. 3).
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1838 G. Bush Notes Joshua & Judges Pref. 1 Such a union of the critical and the practical, as to adapt the volume somewhat happily to popular use.
1856 Royal Leamington Spa Courier 29 Mar. We know of no Lectures which combine so happily..the critical and the profound with the light and fanciful.
1921 Times Lit. Suppl. 17 Mar. 169/2 Mr. Taylor's quick passage from the historical to the critical is, at times, a little disconcerting.
2019 R. Paul & L. Elder Nature & Functions of Crit. & Creative Thinking (ed. 3) i. 5 Whether we are dealing with the most mundane intellectual acts of the mind or those of the most imaginative artist or thinker, the creative and the critical are interwoven.
Phrases
to go critical.
a. Nuclear Physics. Of a nuclear reactor or fuel: to reach the point of sustaining a steady fission chain reaction. Cf. sense A. 4b.
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the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > nuclear fission > nuclear reactor > of reactor: become self-sustaining [verb (intransitive)]
to go critical1947
1947 C. K. Beck et al. Crit. Mass Stud.: Pt. 1 (NSA Techn. Rep. A-4716) vi. 18 Effect of intermixed hydrogen on critical mass... Did not go critical.
1957 New Scientist 26 Dec. 6/2 The prototype reactor went critical at the end of 1954.
1970 Nature 21 Nov. 704/1 Sizewell B will be the largest nuclear power station in Britain when the last of its four reactors goes critical in 1977.
2011 M. Irvine Nucl. Power: Very Short Introd. ii. 28 Natural uranium..will not go critical at any mass without a moderator to increase the number of slow neutrons which are the dominant fission triggers.
b. In extended use, with reference to a project, organization, etc.: to begin to operate successfully or effectively.figurative in quot. 1955, with reference to Phrases a.
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1955 Sci. News Let. 6 Aug. 83/1 The possibility of really putting atoms to work for the good of the world will go ‘critical’, to use a term applicable to the atomic reactor.
1992 Times 8 July 27/1 Bristol Airport..is about to ‘go critical’. That will come when more than a million passengers a year pass through the terminal.
1996 Earth Matters Summer 4/2 By the end of that year, there were six staff, eight local campaigning groups had formed and 1,000 supporters registered. Friends of the Earth had gone critical.
c. In later use (in sense A. 2b): to reach a crisis or tipping point; to reach a very serious or dangerous point.
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1956 Galveston (Texas) Daily News 22 May 7/6 An alleged ‘prowler’ who was stabbed..was reported in a condition that ‘could go critical at any time’ by his physician.
1985 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 3 Feb. (Late City Final ed.) 11li 2/1 The car plowed straight for the guardrail. I had to tap the brake; the skid went critical.
2011 Independent (Nexis) 28 June The situation went critical when he and his wife separated and last year embarked on acrimonious divorce proceedings.
Compounds
critical access adj. U.S. designating a small short-stay hospital in a rural area that provides emergency care to patients who do not live in the vicinity of a major hospital; chiefly in critical access hospital.
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1989 Medicare Reimbursement to Rural Hospitals: Hearing before U.S. Senate Comm. on Finance (101st Congr., 1st Sess.) 14 To protect access to care for our elderly in rural areas I am supporting an access index for critical-access hospitals.
1999 Bangor (Maine) Daily News (Nexis) 16 Dec. For some hospitals, changing to a critical access facility may mean great changes.
2020 Idaho Business Rev. (Nexis) 31 Dec. Most of Idaho's rural hospitals are currently classified as Critical Access Hospitals.
critical angle n. Optics the angle of incidence at which a ray of light must strike an interface with a less dense medium so as to be refracted parallel to the interface.A ray of light incident at an angle greater than the critical angle is totally reflected.
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1829 H. Coddington Treat. Reflexion & Refract. Light ii. 47 in System of Optics I. The angle of incidence for a right angle of emergence is called the critical angle, because it separates or decides between the phænomena of reflexion and refraction.
1966 R. Webster Pract. Gemmol. (ed. 4) vi. 55 The angle of incidence which gives an angle of refraction of 90° is termed the critical angle and is usually denoted by the Greek letter theta θ. The critical angle determines the beginning of total internal reflection.
2005 P. G. Read Gemmology (ed. 3) ix. 82 Rays of light passing through the dense medium of the prism will be reflected back from the surface of the gemstone over an arc of incident angles greater than the critical angle.
critical damping n. Engineering and Physics the smallest amount of damping which brings a displaced system back to its equilibrium state without oscillation; damping of this level.
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the world > matter > physics > mechanics > types of motion > [noun] > vibration or oscillation > damping of oscillation
damping1870
critical damping1898
1898 Rep. 67th Meeting Brit. Assoc. Advancem. Sci. 1897 575 The chief advantages of the instrument are the low self-induction and resistance, as well as the critical damping.
1933 R. F. Field in K. Henney Radio Engin. Handbk. vii. 146 The smallest amount of damping which will cause the coil to come to rest with no oscillation whatever is called the critical damping, and the coil is said to be critically damped.
2007 Wind Engin. 31 328 The compliant mounting was designed to provide critical damping, so that machine speed oscillations decay towards zero.
critical edition n. a published literary, musical, or other text collated from several manuscripts or editions, often having substantial explanatory matter relating to authorial intention, historical context, editorial emendations and textual variants, etc.
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society > communication > book > edition > [noun] > other types of edition
critical edition1721
trade edition1819
colonial edition1825
share book1853
stall-edition1854
Aldine1862
library edition1869
Kelmscott1920
cheaps1930
quickie1933
1721 R. Bentley Proposals New Ed. Greek & Lat. Test. 44 St. Jerom..says not one Word to make us believe that he [sc. Origen] ever attempted or effected any Critical Edition of the New Testament.
1807 Monthly Mirror Nov. 374 Mr. Elmsly is about to publish a new critical edition of Sophocles, with a text collated from the best manuscripts and printed editions.
1985 J. Kerman Musicol. 128 Treitler started out his scholarly career with a critical edition of a Bach cantata for the New Bach Edition.
2016 Weekly Standard (Nexis) 6 June This..critical edition of T.S. Eliot's poems is a scholarly milestone... The elaborate notes..are..informative and the overviews for each stage of Eliot's career contain..much of the poet's own germane commentary.
critical flicker frequency n. Physiology and Optics the value of the frequency of variation of a regularly varying light source at which it passes between being seen as flickering and being seen as steady; = flicker-fusion frequency n. at flicker n.3 Compounds 2, fusion frequency n. at fusion n. Compounds 2.In general the brighter the source, the higher the critical flicker frequency.
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1909 Trans. Illuminating Engin. Soc. (U.S.) 4 717 f is the critical flicker frequency.
1922 Jrnl. Optical Soc. Amer. 6 7 The substantial independence of critical flicker frequency upon chroma is..the basis of the critical frequency method of heterochromatic photometry.
2012 R. W. Proctor & J. D. Proctor in G. Salvendy Handbk. Human Factors & Ergonomics (ed. 4) iii. 74/1 The critical flicker frequency can be as high as 60 Hz for large stimuli of high intensity, but typically it is less.
critical illness adj. Insurance designating a type of insurance which is paid out to the policyholder in the event of the diagnosis of a serious or terminal illness.
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society > trade and finance > financial dealings > insurance > [adjective] > insurance policy types
tontine1790
whole-life1832
term1834
floating1839
all risks1885
third party1901
non-profit1905
knock for knock1906
stamped1913
warehouse to warehouse1922
without-profit(s)1924
with-profit(s)1924
loaded1928
unit-linked1966
no-fault1967
new-for-old1984
critical illness1986
1986 Daily Tel. 10 Dec. 21/1 Cannon Assurance has added what it calls Critical Illness Cover to its universal life policy.
1998 Independent 25 Feb. (City Plus section) 20/5 Critical illness policies are either added to life policies or can be purchased separately.
2016 Sunday Times 10 Apr. (Money section) 4/4 Critical illness insurance will pay a lump sum if either (or both) of us are diagnosed with a specific disease.
critical list n. a list of those who are critically ill in hospital; also in extended use.
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society > communication > record > list > [noun] > list of names or people > others
register1780
police blotter1861
critical list1898
1898 Boston Post 8 Sept. 5/5 William P. Dwyer..is on the critical list, being sick with typhoid fever.
1960 E. A. Cooper No Little Thing xxv. 287 She had been taken off the critical list, but hospital authorities still reported her condition as serious.
1991 Atlanta Jrnl. & Constit. (Nexis) 17 May f1 Atlanta's homebuilding industry is still sick, but it's no longer on the critical list.
2016 mirror.co.uk (Nexis) 21 May Lisa was moved to the critical list as her condition deteriorated.
critical-minded adj. having a mind of a critical nature or tendency; having the ability to apply critical thinking; liable to criticize; cf. critically minded adj.
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1863 Once a Week 15 Aug. 222/1 A critical-minded buffoon, noisy and coarse-tongued, makes comments, close behind us, in a voice louder than that of the performers.
1956 A. Toynbee Historian's Approach to Relig. x. 128 Philosophies have been apt to arise in..critical-minded, disillusioned social milieux.
2014 Bull. Amer. Acad. Arts & Sci. 67 49/2 We need the humanities to help produce the thoughtful and critical-minded citizens that our democracy needs to thrive.
critical opalescence n. Physics the milkiness of an otherwise transparent fluid (either a mixture or a pure substance) due to the growth of density fluctuations as conditions approach a critical point on its phase diagram.The classical description of the phenomenon is by T. Andrews in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) (1869) 159 575–80. [Compare German kritische Opaleszenz (1903 or earlier).]
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1906 Proc. Royal Soc. A. 78 252 The explanation of the appearance of opalescence at the critical temperature.]
1908 Jrnl. Chem. Soc. 93 1002 In the neighbourhood of the lower critical solution-point, a distinct critical opalescence was observed.
1962 Adv. Cryogenic Engin. 7 127 A brilliant yellow-brown critical opalescence was observed with fluorescent lighting for most studies in the critical region.
2017 H. D. Stidham Statist. Physics Beginners 72 Critical opalescence may be observed optically, as at the interface between vapor and liquid CO2 retained in heavy walled glass capillaries at or very near to the critical point.
critical potential n. Physics the potential difference through which a colliding electron must be accelerated to excite an atom or molecule into a higher energy level; (also) the energy of the colliding electron; cf. ionization potential n. at ionization n.2 Compounds.
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the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > ion > ionization > [noun] > potential
Nernst potential1907
ionization potential1913
ionization energy1914
critical potential1916
1916 Physical Rev. 7 687 To determine this critical potential more accurately, and..to demonstrate whether or not ionization took place there, current-potential curves were taken.
1931 Rev. Mod. Physics 3 347 Bohr's theory was so quickly supported by the experiments on critical potentials.
2015 Y. Kraftmakher Exper. & Demonstrations Physics (ed. 2) ix. 618 By upgrading the experiment, Nicoletopoulos obtained more accurate values of critical potentials of mercury.
critical pressure n. Physical Chemistry the pressure of a fluid at its critical point (critical point n. 2), above which liquid and vapour phases cannot exist in equilibrium.
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the world > matter > chemistry > physical chemistry > phases > [noun] > critical points > critical pressure
critical pressure1878
1878 W. Garnett Elem. Treat. Heat (ed. 2) vi. 109 In order to obtain a substance in the critical state it is necessary not only to adjust the temperature to the critical point, but also the pressure to what may be called critical pressure.
1922 T. M. Lowry Inorg. Chem. xxii. 248 The critical temperature of water, above which it cannot be retained in a liquid state, is 374°; at this temperature water has a density of only 0.329 and exerts a maximum vapour pressure or critical pressure of 217 atmospheres.
2004 A. Moisseytsev & D. T. Matonis in Nucl. Production Hydrogen: Second Information Exchange Meeting (O.E.C.D. Nucl. Energy Agency) 279 The CO2 is cooled down to almost the critical pressure and temperature.
critical race theory n. originally U.S. Law a movement or theoretical approach within jurisprudence which holds that racial bias is inherent to the justice system as a result of its basis in beliefs and practices that benefit white people; (now also more generally) a theoretical framework for examining the influence of racial bias on social and cultural institutions and practices.Originally and chiefly with reference to the experiences of African Americans.
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society > law > jurisprudence > [noun] > theories or doctrines of the law
rule of law?c1500
epiky1508
equity1528
renvoi1675
legal positivism1870
positivism1927
realism1930
legalitarianism1962
critical race theory1989
society > society and the community > study of society > [noun] > theories or methods of analysis > specific
socialism1801
Darwinism1875
social Darwinism1877
Webbism1893
Tolstoyism1894
Paretanism1949
structuralism1951
Parsonianism1963
critical race theory1989
1989 Florida Law Rev. 41 441 African-American history (and the African-American critical race theory that builds upon it) illustrates the need to connect theoretical reflection on what constitutes the good life to pragmatic efforts to secure that state of existence in the real world.
2018 K. Andrews in G. K. Bhambra et al. Decolonising University viii. 134 One of the central tenets of Critical Race Theory is that the interests of Black communities are advanced only when they converge with those of mainstream society.
critical region n. Statistics the set of all those samples, typically defined by a range of values of a chosen statistic, which lead to the rejection of a hypothesis of interest; the range of values of the statistic which lead to this rejection.
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1933 J. Neyman & E. S. Pearson in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 231 295 In the n-dimensional sample space, W, the critical limits for x will correspond to a certain critical region w, and when the sample point falls within this region we reject the hypothesis.
1970 D. L. Harnett Introd. Statist. Methods vii. 239 If the calculated value of z lies outside these boundaries, then the sample falls in the critical region.
2016 I. R. Soderstrom & K. R. Blevins Introd. Criminal Justice Statistics & Data Anal. (ed. 2) vi. 107 If the p-value is greater than alpha, the obtained test statistic falls outside the critical region, the null hypothesis is retained and the observed difference is concluded to be reliable.
critical size n. Nuclear Physics (of a particular reactor core, body of fissile material, bomb, etc.) the minimum characteristic dimensions or mass at which it becomes capable of sustaining a chain reaction; cf. critical mass n.
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the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > nuclear fission > [noun] > minimum of fissile material
critical size1940
critical mass1941
crit1957
1940 O. R. Frisch & R. E. Peierls in M. Gowing Brit. & Atomic Energy 1939–45 (1964) App. i. 391 For a sphere well above the critical size the loss through neutron escape would be small.
1946 E. S. C. Smith et al. Appl. Atomic Power iii. i. 74 The critical size of the bomb had been shown to be almost certainly within practical limits.
1968 G. P. Lahti et al. Preliminary Considerations Fast-spectrum, Liquid-metal Cooled Nucl. Reactor Program Space-power Applic. 31 Under the same conditions the critical size of a uranium233 nitride reactor is 8.6 inches (21.8 cm) compared with the 10.5 inches (26.7 cm) required for uranium233 dioxide fuel.
2002 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 7 Nov. 70/2 The critical mass..is determined by a competition between escape of neutrons from the surface of the fissionable material and the creation of neutrons in the interior during the fission process. When this competition is a ‘draw’—as many neutrons are created as escape—you have reached the critical size.
critical state n. Physical Chemistry the state of a fluid that has two phases (esp. vapour and liquid) which are at the point of becoming indistinguishable; cf. critical point n. 2.
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the world > matter > chemistry > physical chemistry > phases > [noun] > critical points > critical state
critical state1871
1871 J. C. Maxwell Theory of Heat vi. 124 M. Cagniard de la Tour estimated the temperature and pressure of the critical state.
1899 T. O'C. Sloane Liquid Air i. 20 When a gas is at the critical temperature and at the critical pressure also, the least increase of pressure or decrease of temperature will convert it into a liquid. When in this condition, ready to be a gas or a liquid, it is said to be in the critical state.
1970 Proc. Royal Soc. A. 319 331 Gibbs's derivation of the conditions for the consolute or liquid–liquid critical state.
2011 R. T. Balmer Mod. Engin. Thermodynamics iii. 70 Near the critical state, a transparent substance becomes almost opaque due to light scattering caused by large fluctuations in local density.
critical temperature n. Physical Chemistry the temperature of a gas at its critical point (critical point n. 2), above which it cannot be liquefied by pressure alone.
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the world > matter > chemistry > physical chemistry > phases > [noun] > critical points > critical temperature
critical point1870
critical temperature1870
1870 T. Andrews in Philos. Trans. 1869 (Royal Soc.) 159 583 Below the critical temperature this distinction is easily seen to have taken place.
1947 Sci. News 5 164 No amount of compressing will liquefy it [sc. a gas] as long as it is hotter than this critical temperature.
2017 D. Ebbing & S. D. Gammon Gen. Chem. (ed. 11) xi. 363 The critical temperatures of ammonia and nitrogen are 132℃ and −147℃ respectively.
critical thinking n. the objective, systematic, and rational analysis and evaluation of factual evidence in order to form a judgement on a subject, issue, etc.
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1815 Crit. Rev. May 501 It contains a very fine general character of Lucretius, as a poet, written with great power of language, candid discrimination, and original strength of critical thinking.
1967 H. Grobman in A. C. Ornstein Accountability for Teachers (1973) ii. 28 Schools must..deal with demands for the development of such intellectual skills as..critical thinking.
2015 Wall St. Jrnl. 9 May a12/3 Comprehensive sexuality education..fosters critical thinking on gender norms and human rights.
critical volume n. Physical Chemistry the volume of unit mass (now often one mole) of a substance at its critical temperature and pressure.
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the world > matter > chemistry > physical chemistry > phases > [noun] > critical points > critical volume
critical volume1878
1878 W. Garnett Elem. Treat. Heat (ed. 2) vi. 109 These two conditions will determine the volume of any given quantity of the substance, and therefore its density, so that we may speak of the critical temperature, critical pressure, and critical volume of a substance.
1912 Proc. Royal Soc. A. 86 584 Xenon has..a smaller critical volume and a greater critical density than any other substance so far investigated.
2019 P. Atkins et al. Physical Chem. (ed. 11) i. 31 The critical volume and critical pressure of a certain gas are 160 cm3 mol-1 and 40 atm, respectively.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2022).
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adj.n.1556