critical
1 A critical time, factor, or situation is extremely important. = crucial
The incident happened at a critical point in the campaign...
He says setting priorities is of critical importance...
How you finance a business is critical to the success of your venture.
ADJ


2 A critical situation is very serious and dangerous.
The German authorities are considering an airlift if the situation becomes critical...
Its day-to-day finances are in a critical state.


3 A critical approach to something involves examining and judging it carefully.
We need to become critical text-readers...
...the critical analysis of political ideas.
ADJ: ADJ n


4 If something or someone receives critical acclaim, critics say that they are very good.
The film met with considerable critical and public acclaim...