Definitions

crucial

[kroo-shuhl] / ˈkru ʃəl /

ADJECTIVE

critical, important

Synonyms

STRONGEST

bottom-line central compelling deciding decisive essential imperative momentous necessary pivotal pressing touchy urgent vital

WEAK

acute clamorous climactic desperate dire hanging by thread high-priority insistent on thin ice searching showdown touch and go

Antonyms

STRONGEST

inessential insignificant minor optional secondary trivial unimportant unnecessary voluntary

WEAK

uncritical

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.

Exhibits covering bugs and plants, now understood to be a crucial part of the Ice Age ecosystem, are currently limited to two small wall displays last updated in the 1980s.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2026

The deal, which will bolster SpaceX's finances ahead of its IPO on June 12, covers a computing infrastructure of approximately 110,000 Nvidia GPUs -- the crucial hardware needed to power Google's Gemini AI models.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

"Our findings emphasize that understanding the coastal landscape as a whole is crucial when predicting how mangroves might respond to climate change, and how we can protect them."

From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2026

But it was crucial to Yarrow that Odegaard and his title rival Haaland did not steal the show.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

The crucial dispute between Cartesians and Newtonians was over the shape of the Earth: Newton predicted an oblate ellipsoid, or flattened, Earth, while the Cartesians had predicted a prolate ellipsoid, or egg-shaped, Earth.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Vocabulary lists containing crucial

List 1

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