All 5 Uses
critical
in
Oliver Twist
(Auto-generated)
- It was the critical moment of Oliver's fate.†
Chpt 3
- The dog jumped from right to left, and from left to right; snapping, growling, and barking; the man thrust and swore, and struck and blasphemed; and the struggle was reaching a most critical point for one or other; when, the door suddenly opening, the dog darted out: leaving Bill Sikes with the poker and the clasp-knife in his hands.†
Chpt 15
- CHAPTER XXXI: INVOLVES A CRITICAL POSITION†
Chpt 31 *
- It was fortunate for her that the possession of money occasioned him so much employment next day in the way of eating and drinking; and withal had so beneficial an effect in smoothing down the asperities of his temper; that he had neither time nor inclination to be very critical upon her behaviour and deportment.†
Chpt 39
- On Sundays, he never fails to criticise the sermon to the young clergyman's face: always informing Mr. Losberne, in strict confidence afterwards, that he considers it an excellent performance, but deems it as well not to say so.†
Chpt 53 *criticise = give an opinion of what is wrong with somethingunconventional spelling: This is a British spelling. Americans spell this criticize.
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.