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.

The United States and Iran have been trying to broker a deal to end the Middle East war and reopen the crucial waterway since a fragile ceasefire came into force on April 8.

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

Heading into the crucial spring-selling season, realtors and home builders were hopeful that lower mortgage rates would finally get buyers off the sidelines.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

"For our simulations, it was crucial to model the behavior and interaction of both materials on both small and large scales," said Nerea Gurrutxaga, PhD student at the MPS and first author of the paper.

From Science Daily • May 26, 2026

A crucial part of continued success for Hook Norton has been finding ways to diversify.

From BBC • May 25, 2026

At this point the Inquisition stepped in, determined to get their man, and issued the crucial second warning which made the reference to teaching.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Vocabulary lists containing crucial

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