critical

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: B2 — Upper-Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. adjective marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws
  2. adjective at or of a point at which a property or phenomenon suffers an abrupt change especially having enough mass to sustain a chain reaction
  3. adjective characterized by careful evaluation and judgment

Etymology

From Latin criticus + -al, from Ancient Greek κριτικός (kritikós, “of or for judging, able to discern”), from κρίνω (krínō, “to separate, judge”); also the root of crisis.

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