Sample sentences for CRITICAL - verbalworkout.com

3 meanings

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1 —as in:
a critical problem

Definition

important, serious, or dangerous

It is of critical importance.

critical = highly important

Other Uses (with this meaning)

The doctor said her condition is critical.

critical = serious or dangerous

Ants play a critical role in the ecosystem.

critical = very important

She plays a critical role in the administration.

critical = important

It was a critical factor in my decision.

critical = important

The legislation funds critical infrastructure.

critical = important

...and they wanted to protect us at this critical stage in my recovery.
Malala Yousafzai -- I Am Malala

critical = important

Having left USC a few credits short, he had no college degree, a critical asset in a job market glutted with veterans and former war production workers.
Laura Hillenbrand -- Unbroken

critical = important

He was in critical condition.
S.E. Hinton -- The Outsiders

critical = serious or dangerous

Later the doctors would speculate that when Dad, Luke and Benjamin had wrestled Shawn to the ground—and he'd sustained a concussion—he was already in critical condition.
Tara Westover -- Educated

critical = serious or dangerous

Dictionary / pronunciation — Google^®Dictionary / more samples — Oxford^® US Dictionary list — Onelook.com^®

2 —as in:
don't be so critical

Definition

finding fault and telling others; or tending to have unfavorable opinions

She is critical of everything he does.

critical = tends to find fault

Other Uses (with this meaning)

She was imprisoned after writing an article that was critical of the dictator.

critical = expressed unfavorable opinion

She is very critical of the administration.

critical = tends to find fault

The comment prompted a twiterstorm of criticism.

criticism = description of faults

Montag, old men who stay at home, afraid, tending their peanut-brittle bones, have no right to criticize.
Ray Bradbury -- Fahrenheit 451

criticize = give opinions of what is wrong with something

(editor's note: The suffix "-ive" converts a word to a verb. This is the same pattern you see in words like apologize, theorize, and dramatize.)

For the act of criticizing heightened his sense of importance, made him feel larger.
Aldous Huxley -- Brave New World

criticizing = finding fault and telling others

(editor's note: The suffix "-ive" converts a word to a verb. This is the same pattern you see in words like apologize, theorize, and dramatize.)

People like Mr. Heck Tate did not trap you with innocent questions to make fun of you; even Jem was not highly critical unless you said something stupid.
Harper Lee -- To Kill a Mockingbird

critical = expressing unfavorable opinions

Mom said that anyone critical of her driving could help with the task.
Jeannette Walls -- The Glass Castle

critical = expressing unfavorable opinions

Is there something you want, or are you just an art critic today?
Neal Shusterman -- Unwind

critic = someone who finds fault and tells others

His coming, however, had been a certain comfort to us, since it assured us that we should not have to dread hostile criticism as to any of our acts.
Bram Stoker -- Dracula

criticism = sharing of unfavorable opinions

3 —as in:
critical acclaim

Definition

relating to thoughtful judgement of what is good and bad about something — possibly from people whose job is to share their expert opinions in a given industry

The film is receiving critical acclaim.

critical = "Critical acclaim" is a common expression meaning praise from people whose job is to share expert judgement.

Other Uses (with this meaning)

She is a restaurant critic who appears regularly on television.

critic = someone whose job is to share expert opinion of things in given industry

The film received critical and commercial success.

critical = relating to expert judgement

She holds up her drawing, eyeing it critically.
Katherine Applegate -- The One and Only Ivan

critically = in a manner that thoughtfully judges what is good and bad about something

The teachers were amused and entertained by my clever answers, my witty remarks, my charming face and my critical mind.
Anne Frank -- The Diary of a Young Girl

critical = demonstrating thoughtful judgement

No wonder books stopped selling, the critics said.
Ray Bradbury -- Fahrenheit 451

critics = people whose job is to share expert judgement

Attentive critics of courthouse business, Atticus said they knew as much law as the Chief Justice, from long years of observation.
Harper Lee -- To Kill a Mockingbird

critics = people who share expert judgement

My ears to an orchestra conductor. My stomach to a food critic.
Neal Shusterman -- Unwind

critic = someone whose job is to share expert judgement

The Professor watched me critically.
Bram Stoker -- Dracula

critically = in a manner that thoughtfully judges what is good and bad about something

I did not, like him, attempt a critical knowledge of their dialects, for I did not contemplate making any other use of them than temporary amusement.
Mary Shelley -- Frankenstein

critical = using careful analysis

Dictionary / pronunciation — Google^®Dictionary / more samples — Oxford^® US Dictionary list — Onelook.com^®

Less commonly:

See a comprehensive dictionary for more specialized senses of critical including those in mathematics and nuclear energy.

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