See Also: critical(dictionary)
critical(dictionary)
critical pH(medicine)
Critical(money)
Critical(medicine)
illumination, critical(medicine)
critical velocity(medicine)
critical temperature(medicine)
Critical Levels(money)
Critical Process(money)

critical (iou)



critical adjective. M16.
[from late Latin criticus (see CRITIC adjective) + -AL1.]
I.
Of or pertaining to the crisis of a disease; determining the issue of a disease. M16.
gen. Of, pertaining to, or constituting a crisis; of decisive importance, crucial; involving risk or suspense. E17.
H. Macmillan We made a serious error, at a critical moment when France was already nervous and uncertain. H. Kissinger Their need for American grain was critical. A. Hailey They were vulnerable, critical installations and could take weeks to repair or replace completely.
Math. & Physics. Constituting or relating to a point of transition from one state etc. to another. M19.
b. Of a nuclear reactor etc.: maintaining a self-sustaining chain reaction. M20.
II.
Given to judging, esp. unfavourably; fault-finding, censorious. L16.
Shakespeare Othello I am nothing if not critical. W. Golding She was severe and very critical of my playing.
Skilful at or engaged in criticism, esp. of literature or art; providing textual criticism. L16.
J. M. Murry These two finely critical mindsin their separate provinces the finest critical minds we have in England to-day. A. Wilson A critical edition of the text of Lamia.
b. Belonging to criticism. M18.
Involving careful judgement or observation; nice, exact, punctual. M17-M19.
Special collocations & phrases: critical angle the angle of incidence at which a ray of light must strike an interface with a less dense medium so as to be refracted parallel to the interface. critical apparatus: see APPARATUS 2c. critical damping Physics damping just sufficient to prevent oscillations. critical mass the mass of a body of fissile material of critical size (see below). critical path a sequence of stages determining the minimum time needed for the execution of an entire project. critical point a set of conditions of temperature, pressure, and density at which a liquid and its vapour become indistinguishable. critical pressure the pressure required to liquefy a gas at its critical temperature. critical size the minimum size of a body of a given fissile material which is capable of sustaining a nuclear chain reaction. critical temperature: above which a gas cannot be liquefied by pressure. critical volume the volume of unit mass of a gas or vapour at its critical temperature and pressure. go critical (of a nuclear reactor etc.) begin to sustain a nuclear chain reaction. New Critical: see NEW adjective.
criti'cality noun the state or quality of being critical; esp. the condition of sustaining a nuclear chain reaction: M18.
critically adverb M17.
criticalness noun M17.