crucial
adjective
cru·cial ˈkrü-shəl 
1
a
: important, significant
… what use we make of them will be the crucial question.
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley KubrickVitamins are crucial for maintaining good health.
b
: important or essential as resolving a crisis : decisive
She played a crucial role in the negotiations.
c
: marked by final determination of a doubtful issue
the crucial game of a series
2
archaic : cruciform
Synonyms
- critical
- key
- pivotal
- vital
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Vitamins are crucial for maintaining good health. It's crucial that we arrive before 8 o'clock. Teachers are crucial to the success of the school. She played a crucial role in the meeting.
Recent Examples on the Web How the Bank of England responds to the enormous increase in government borrowing is also crucial. Anna Cooban And Mark Thompson, CNN, 9 Sep. 2022 Offensive line play has long been a strong suit at EWU — Best is a former lineman and position coach -- and how that unit performs against the Ducks will be crucial. James Crepea | The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 9 Sep. 2022 Analysts added that the September quarter will be crucial in seeing if the streaming giant can really prove its new business model is worth the stock’s value. Lucy Brewster, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2022 Teamwork is crucial, especially for veteran teachers who may have learned a different way of teaching reading, said Delane Lesh, assistant principal of Spann Elementary. Lelah Byron And Aimee Galaszewski, Journal Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2022 These forays into the past are crucial, but ultimately secondary to Laurence’s trial, which Diop, along with her co-writers Amrita David and the French novelist Marie Ndiaye, use as a canvas for the film’s broader themes. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Sep. 2022 Graham said that his team could not confidently predict whether or when the glacial structure might completely dissolve, but that reducing planet-warming emissions in the next 75 years will be crucial for its survival. Karina Tsui, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2022 Only Hemmer proposes that the Democratic Party might also bear some culpability for the transformation of the partisan landscape—which implies that an overhaul of moral and political vision is crucial. Kim Phillips-fein, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2022 Experts who spoke with ABC News said vocal denouncements from bipartisan political leaders could help blunt the impact of unsubstantiated election fraud claims on American democracy -- but doing so soon could be crucial. Bytal Axelrod, ABC News, 6 Sep. 2022 See More
Anna Cooban And Mark Thompson, CNN, 9 Sep. 2022 Offensive line play has long been a strong suit at EWU — Best is a former lineman and position coach -- and how that unit performs against the Ducks will be crucial. James Crepea | The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 9 Sep. 2022 Analysts added that the September quarter will be crucial in seeing if the streaming giant can really prove its new business model is worth the stock’s value. Lucy Brewster, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2022 Teamwork is crucial, especially for veteran teachers who may have learned a different way of teaching reading, said Delane Lesh, assistant principal of Spann Elementary. Lelah Byron And Aimee Galaszewski, Journal Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2022 These forays into the past are crucial, but ultimately secondary to Laurence’s trial, which Diop, along with her co-writers Amrita David and the French novelist Marie Ndiaye, use as a canvas for the film’s broader themes. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Sep. 2022 Graham said that his team could not confidently predict whether or when the glacial structure might completely dissolve, but that reducing planet-warming emissions in the next 75 years will be crucial for its survival. Karina Tsui, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2022 Only Hemmer proposes that the Democratic Party might also bear some culpability for the transformation of the partisan landscape—which implies that an overhaul of moral and political vision is crucial. Kim Phillips-fein, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2022 Experts who spoke with ABC News said vocal denouncements from bipartisan political leaders could help blunt the impact of unsubstantiated election fraud claims on American democracy -- but doing so soon could be crucial. Bytal Axelrod, ABC News, 6 Sep. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
French, from Latin cruc-, crux cross
First Known Use
1706, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Kids Definition
crucial
adjective
cru·cial ˈkrü-shəl
1
: being a final or very important test or decision : decisive
a crucial battle
2
: very important : significant
Water is a crucial element in our weather.
crucial
adjective
as in key
of the greatest possible importance water is crucial to our survival Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- key
- critical
- vital
- pivotal
- essential
- fundamental
- necessary
- basic
- decisive
- indispensable
- life-or-death
- instrumental
- elementary
- requisite
- urgent
- life-and-death
- pressing
- weighty
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unimportant
- trivial
- insignificant
- minor
- inconsequential
Synonym Chooser
The words acute and critical are common synonyms of crucial. While all three words mean "of uncertain outcome," crucial suggests a dividing of the ways and often a test or trial involving the determination of a future course or direction.
a crucial vote
While the synonyms acute and crucial are close in meaning, acute stresses intensification of conditions leading to a culmination or breaking point.
an acute housing shortage
Critical adds to acute implications of imminent change, of attendant suspense, and of decisiveness in the outcome.
the war has entered a critical phase
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- superficialized
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- superficializing
- superficially
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- superficials
- superficiary
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- superfine
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