All 4 Uses
critical
in
Lord of the Flies
(Edited)
- He looked critically at Ralph's golden body and then down at his own clothes.
p. 11.1 *critically = in a manner that thoughtfully judges what is good and bad about somethingeditor's notes: This is Piggy early in the story. Clearly Piggy did not look critically in the sense of showing disapproval of Ralph's body. Though less commonly used, this is another important meaning of critical. This meaning is commonly stressed when reviewing for standardized tests.
- Ralph looked at him critically through his tangle of fair hair.
p. 53.8critically = in a manner that thoughtfully judges what is good and bad about something
- Holding his breath he cocked a critical ear at the sounds of the island.
p. 57.3critical = relating to judgement of what is important
- Ralph looked at the sun critically.
p. 117.1critically = in a manner that thoughtfully judges what is good and bad about something
Definitions:
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(1)
(critical as in: a critical problem) important, serious, or dangerous
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(2)
(critical as in: don't be so critical) finding fault and telling others; or tending to have unfavorable opinions
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(3)
(critical as in: critical acclaim) relating to careful analysis or 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
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(4)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) See a comprehensive dictionary for more specialized senses of critical including those in mathematics and nuclear energy.