1. Inclined to judge severely and find fault. 2. a critical reading. 3. critical acclaim; a critical analysis of Melville's writings. 4. a critical point in the campaign. 5. an illness at the critical stage. 6. Being or relating to a grave physical condition especially of a patient. 7. a critical element of the plan; a second income that is critical to the family's well-being. 8. a critical shortage of food. 9. Fraught with danger or risk; perilous. 10. Of or relating to a point at which a curve has a maximum, minimum, or point of inflection. 11. A critical temperature of water is 100C, its boiling point at standard atmospheric pressure. 12. Capable of sustaining a nuclear chain reaction.
