# critical

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈkɹɪt.ɪ.kəl/ · frequency rank #1,559

## Definitions
1. Inclined to find fault or criticize.
2. Pertaining to, or indicating, a crisis or turning point.
3. Extremely important.
4. Relating to criticism or careful analysis, such as literary or film criticism.
5. Relating to criticism or careful analysis, such as literary or film criticism.
6. Of a patient condition involving unstable vital signs and a prognosis that predicts the condition could worsen; or, a patient condition that requires urgent treatment in an intensive care or critical care medical facility.
7. In such a condition.
8. Likely to go out of control if disturbed, that is, opposite of stable.
9. Of the point (in temperature, reagent concentration etc.) where a nuclear or chemical reaction becomes self-sustaining.
10. Of a temperature that is equal to the temperature of the critical point of a substance, i.e. the temperature above which the substance cannot be liquefied.
11. Needing great discrimination to be correctly classified; easily confused.

## Etymology
From Latin criticus + -al, from Ancient Greek κριτικός (kritikós, “of or for judging, able to discern”), from
κρίνω (krínō, “to separate, judge”); also the root of crisis.

## Easily confused with
- **critically** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/critical-vs-critically)
- **critic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/critic-vs-critical)
- **criminal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/criminal-vs-critical)
- **clinical** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clinical-vs-critical)
- **cortical** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cortical-vs-critical)

## Common misspellings (12)
`ccritical`, `cirtical`, `criitcal`, `critcial`, `critiacl`, `criticall`, `criticcal`, `criticla`, `crittical`, `crritical`, `crtiical`, `rcitical`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/critical