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.

That’s already making a crucial North American expansion more difficult than expected.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026

"Understanding these patterns may reveal crucial insights for studying cooperation, social learning, and emotional well-being in both humans and other animals."

From Science Daily • May 31, 2026

The autumn months are some of the most crucial for grain growers as that's when they plant their crops.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

CEO Sushil Patel hit back at the agency in a statement, saying the rapid development of a treatment was crucial to address the thousands of deaths from melanoma each year.

From Barron's • May 29, 2026

But the crucial modern inventions depend on prior scientific discoveries: in the case of the steam engine, Boyle’s law.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Vocabulary lists containing crucial

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