adjadj.allmarked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flawsAntonyms:uncritical
Derivationally Related Form:criticismcritic
Inherited Hypernyms:critical
Similar to:captious faultfinding censorious deprecative hypercritical overcritical scathing vituperative searing
See also:sarcastic unfavorable unfavourable
adjadj.allat or of a point at which a property or phenomenon suffers an abrupt change especially having enough mass to sustain a chain reactionTopic:chemical sciencechemistrynatural philosophyphysics
Attributes:criticality
Examples:- a critical temperature of water is 100 degrees C--its boiling point at standard atmospheric pressure
- critical mass
- go critical
Antonyms:noncritical
Derivationally Related Form:criticality
Inherited Hypernyms:critical
Similar to:supercritical
adjadj.allcharacterized by careful evaluation and judgmentExamples:- a critical reading
- a critical dissertation
- a critical analysis of Melville's writings
Antonyms:uncritical
Derivationally Related Form:criticismcritic
Inherited Hypernyms:critical
Similar to:appraising evaluative discriminative judicial
See also:discerning scholarly
adj satadj.allurgently needed; absolutely necessarySynset:vital
Examples:- a critical element of the plan
- critical medical supplies
- vital for a healthy society
- of vital interest
Antonyms:dispensable
Derivationally Related Form:vitalnesscriticalitycriticalness
Inherited Hypernyms:critical
Similar to:indispensable
adj satadj.allforming or having the nature of a turning point or crisisSynset:decisive
Examples:- a critical point in the campaign
- the critical test
Antonyms:noncrucial
Derivationally Related Form:crisisdecisivenesscriticalness
Inherited Hypernyms:critical
Similar to:crucial important
adjadj.allbeing in or verging on a state of crisis or emergencyAttributes:crisis
Examples:- a critical shortage of food
- a critical illness
- an illness at the critical stage
Antonyms:noncritical
Derivationally Related Form:criticalitycriticalness
Inherited Hypernyms:critical
Similar to:acute dangerous grave grievous life-threatening serious severe desperate dire
See also:crucial important
adjadj.pertof or involving or characteristic of critics or criticismDerivationally Related Form:criticismcritic
Pertainyms:criticism
Inherited Hypernyms:critical