crucial
Americanadjective
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involving an extremely important decision or result; decisive; critical.
a crucial experiment.
- Synonyms:
- significant, essential, vital, momentous
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severe; trying.
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of the form of a cross; cross-shaped.
adjective
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involving a final or supremely important decision or event; decisive; critical
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informal very important
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slang very good
Usage
What does crucial mean? Crucial means extremely important or involving an extremely important decision or course of action. Close synonyms are critical and decisive.The word crucial is usually used to describe pivotal moments, choices, or actions that will affect everything that follows, as in We’re at a crucial point in the process—we need to make some big decisions. Sometimes, crucial is simply used to describe something that’s extremely important, as in Getting enough sleep is crucial for staying healthy. Example: I can’t express how absolutely crucial it is to surround yourself with the right friends.
Other Word Forms
- cruciality noun
- crucially adverb
- noncrucial adjective
- noncrucially adverb
- precrucial adjective
Etymology
Origin of crucial
First recorded in 1700–10; from Latin cruci- (stem of crux cross ( def. ) ) + -al 1 ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This matters because few alternatives exist for the oil-rich Middle East region to keep crude flowing to global markets without safe passage through the crucial Strait of Hormuz.
From MarketWatch
The strait is crucial because it allows cargo ships to pass the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, facilitating the production and flow of crude oil from the Middle East.
From MarketWatch
In both cases, the actin band collapsed without microtubules, demonstrating that these structures provide crucial mechanical support and signaling during band formation and contraction.
From Science Daily
Making his World Cup debut, Ahmed, 21, took a wicket with his first ball and then scored a crucial 19 not out to secure victory in England's chase in partnership with Will Jacks.
From BBC
Mention how crucial you were to its success at the next lunch-and-learn.
From MarketWatch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
