Word Meanings - CRITICAL - Book Publishers vocabulary database

Pertaining to, or indicating, a crisis, turning point, or specially important juncture; important as regards consequences; hence, of doubtful issue; attended with risk; dangerous; as, the critical stage of a fever; a critical situation.

Additional info about word: CRITICAL

Pertaining to, or indicating, a crisis, turning point, or specially important juncture; important as regards consequences; hence, of doubtful issue; attended with risk; dangerous; as, the critical stage of a fever; a critical situation. Our circumstances are indeed critical. Burke. The small moment, the exact point, the critical minute, on which every good work so much depends. South. Critical angle , that angle of incidence of a luminous ray at which it is wholly reflected, and no portion of it transmitted. The sine of this angle is the reciprocal of the refractive index of the medium. -- Critical philosophy, the metaphysical system of Kant; -- so called from his most important work, the "Critique of Pure Reason." - - Critical point , a certain temperature, different for different gases, but always the same for each gas, regarded as the limit above which no amount of pressure can produce condensation to a liquid. (more info) 1. Qualified to criticise, or pass judgment upon, literary or artistic productions. It is submitted to the judgment of more critical ears to direct and determine what is graceful and what is not. Holder. 2. Pertaining to criticism or the critic's art; of the nature of a criticism; accurate; as, critical knowledge; a critical dissertation. 3. Inclined to make nice distinctions, or to exercise careful judgment and selection; exact; nicely judicious. Virgil was so critical in the rites of religion. that he would never have brought in such prayers as these, if they had not been agreeable to the Roman customs. Bp. Stillingfleet. 4. Inclined to criticise or find fault; fastidious; captious; censorious; exacting. O gentle lady, do not put me to 't, For I am nothing, if not critical. Shak. 5. Characterized by thoroughness and a reference to principles, as becomes a critic; as, a critical analysis of a subject. 6. Etym:

Possible synonyms: (Same meaning words of CRITICAL)

• Captious
• Carping
• caviling
• censorious
• hypercritical
• cross
• fault-finding
• critical
• cynical
• petulant
• irritable
• splenetic
• touchy
• peevish
• fretful
• Crucial
• Searching
• probing
• severe
• discriminating
• sharp
• piercing
• Eventful
• Remarkable
• memorable
• signal
• important
• marked
• noted
• stirring
• notable
• Fastidious
• Critical
• overnice
• overrefined
• punctillious
• particular
• squeamish
• dainty
• Severe
• Serious
• austere
• stern
• grave
• strict
• harsh
• rigid
• rigorous
• afflictive
• distressing
• violent
• extreme
• exact
• caustic
• sarcastic
• cutting
• keen
• bitter
• cruel

Related words: (words related to CRITICAL)

• NOTOTHERIUM
  An extinct genus of gigantic herbivorous marsupials, found in the Pliocene formation of Australia.
• SERIOUS
  1. Grave in manner or disposition; earnest; thoughtful; solemn; not light, gay, or volatile. He is always serious, yet there is about his manner a graceful ease. Macaulay. 2. Really intending what is said; being in earnest; not jesting
• NOTUM
  The back.
• STERNFOREMOST
  With the stern, instead of the bow, in advance; hence, figuratively, in an awkward, blundering manner. A fatal genius for going sternforemost. Lowell.
• HYPERCRITICALLY
  In a hypercritical manner.
• GRAVES
  The sediment of melted tallow. Same as Greaves.
• CARPET
  packing cloth, rug , LL. carpeta, carpita, woolly cloths, fr. L. carpere to pluck, to card ; cf. 1. A heavy woven or felted fabric, usually of wool, but also of cotton, hemp, straw, etc.; esp. a floor covering made in breadths to be
• CARPOGENIC
  Productive of fruit, or causing fruit to be developed.
• CROSSLY
  Athwart; adversely; unfortunately; peevishly; fretfully; with ill humor.
• STERNUTATORY
  Sternutative. -- n.
• MARKETABLENESS
  Quality of being marketable.
• CROSS-EXAMINER
  One who cross-examines or conducts a crosse-examination.
• BITTERWEED
  A species of Ambrosia ; Roman worm wood. Gray.
• GRAVEDIGGER
  See T (more info) 1. A digger of graves.
• CROSSJACK
  The lowest square sail, or the lower yard of the mizzenmast.
• SHARPLY
  In a sharp manner,; keenly; acutely. They are more sharply to be chastised and reformed than the rude Irish. Spenser. The soldiers were sharply assailed with wants. Hayward. You contract your eye when you would see sharply. Bacon.
• PROBACY
  Proof; trial. Chaucer.
• SIGNALIZE
  1. To make signal or eminent; to render distinguished from what is common; to distinguish. It is this passion which drives men to all the ways we see in use of signalizing themselves. Burke. 2. To communicate with by means of a signal; as, a ship
• PROBATION
  1. The act of proving; also, that which proves anything; proof. When by miracle God dispensed great gifts to the laity, . . . he gave probation that he intended that all should prophesy and preach. Jer. Taylor. 2. Any proceeding designed
• CROSSOPTERYGIAN
  Of or pertaining to the Crossopterygii. -- n.
• MONOTESSARON
  A single narrative framed from the statements of the four evangelists; a gospel harmony.
• OPPROBRIOUS
  1. Expressive of opprobrium; attaching disgrace; reproachful; scurrilous; as, opprobrious language. They . . . vindicate themselves in terms no less opprobrious than those by which they are attacked. Addison. 2. Infamous; despised; rendered
• HYPNOTIC
  1. Having the quality of producing sleep; tending to produce sleep; soporific. 2. Of or pertaining to hypnotism; in a state of hypnotism; liable to hypnotism; as, a hypnotic condition.
• TRADE-MARK
  A peculiar distinguishing mark or device affixed by a manufacturer or a merchant to his goods, the exclusive right of using which is recognized by law.
• SEAMARK
  Any elevated object on land which serves as a guide to mariners; a beacon; a landmark visible from the sea, as a hill, a tree, a steeple, or the like. Shak.
• PHONOTYPY
  A method of phonetic printing of the English language, as devised by Mr. Pitman, in which nearly all the ordinary letters and many new forms are employed in order to indicate each elementary sound by a separate character.
• LACROSSE
  A game of ball, originating among the North American Indians, now the popular field sport of Canada, and played also in England and the United States. Each player carries a long-handled racket, called a "crosse". The ball is not handled but caught
• ASTRICT
  To restrict the tenure of; as, to astrict lands. See Astriction, 4. Burrill. (more info) 1. To bind up; to confine; to constrict; to contract. The solid parts were to be relaxed or astricted. Arbuthnot. 2. To bind; to constrain; to restrict; to