critical
adjective
[ ˈkrɪtɪk(ə)l ]
• expressing adverse or disapproving comments or judgements.
• "I was very critical of the previous regime"
Similar:
censorious,
condemnatory,
condemning,
castigatory,
reproving,
denunciatory,
deprecatory,
disparaging,
disapproving,
scathing,
criticizing,
fault-finding,
judgemental,
negative,
unfavourable,
unsympathetic,
hypercritical,
ultra-critical,
overcritical,
pedantic,
pettifogging,
cavilling,
carping,
quibbling,
niggling,
pass-remarkable,
nitpicking,
hair-splitting,
picky,
griping,
bitching,
bellyaching,
whingeing,
pernickety,
persnickety,
reprobatory,
reprobative,
• expressing or involving an analysis of the merits and faults of a work of literature, music, or art.
• "she never won the critical acclaim she sought"
• (of a situation or problem) having the potential to become disastrous; at a point of crisis.
• "the floodwaters had not receded and the situation was still critical"
Similar:
grave,
serious,
dangerous,
risky,
perilous,
hazardous,
precarious,
touch-and-go,
in the balance,
uncertain,
desperate,
dire,
acute,
very bad,
life-and-death,
life-threatening,
chancy,
dicey,
hairy,
iffy,
dodgy,
parlous,
peracute,
profound,
egregious,
• relating to or denoting a point of transition from one state to another.
• "if the density is less than a certain critical value the gravitational attraction will be too weak to halt the expansion"
• (of a nuclear reactor or fuel) maintaining a self-sustaining chain reaction.
• "the reactor is due to go critical in October"
Origin:
mid 16th century (in the sense ‘relating to the crisis of a disease’): from late Latin criticus (see critic).
