Meaning of crucial in English

  1. Pronunciation

    /ˈkruʃəl/

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  1. Classifying Adjective

    crucial

    Definitions

    1. having crucial relevance

    Examples

    • « crucial to the case »
    • « relevant testimony »

    Synonyms

  2. 2. of the greatest importance

    Examples

    • « the all-important subject of disarmament »
    • « crucial information »
    • « in chess cool nerves are of the essence »

    Synonyms

  3. 3. having the power or quality of deciding

    Examples

    • « the crucial experiment »
    • « cast the deciding vote »
    • « the determinative (or determinant) battle »

    Synonyms

  4. Qualitative Adjective

    crucial

    Etymology

    early 18th century (in the sense ‘cross-shaped’): from French, from Latin crux, cruc-‘cross’. The sense ‘decisive’ is from Francis Bacon's Latin phrase instantia crucis‘crucial instance’, which he explained as a metaphor from a crux or fingerpost marking a fork at a crossroad; Newton and Boyle took up the metaphor in experimentum crucis‘crucial experiment’

    Definitions

    1. of extreme importance

    Examples

    • « vital to the resolution of a crisis »
    • « a crucial moment in his career »
    • « a crucial election »
    • « a crucial issue for women »

    Synonyms

    Antonyms

See also