a vital, basic, decisive, or pivotal point: The crux of the trial was his whereabouts at the time of the murder.
a cross.
something that torments by its puzzling nature; a perplexing difficulty.
Origin of crux
1635–45; <Latin: stake, scaffold, or cross used in executions, torment; figurative senses perhaps <New Latin crux (interpretum) (commentators') torment, a difficult passage in a text; cf. crucial
SYNONYMS FOR crux
1 essence, heart, core, gist.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR crux ON THESAURUS.COM
Words nearby crux
Cruveilhier-Baumgarten murmur, Cruveilhier-Baumgarten sign, Cruveilhier-Baumgarten syndrome, Cruveilhier's disease, Cruveilhier's sign, crux, crux ansata, crux of heart, crux of the matter, crux pilorum, Cruyff
In keeping with the expert consensus on decarbonization, the crux of China’s odyssey is electrifying its economy as much as possible, from switching to electric vehicles to using electricity instead of coal for some industrial production.
China’s commitment to become carbon neutral by 2060, explained|Lili Pike|September 25, 2020|Vox
That’s the crux of Mulan, in which our heroine realizes, through pretending to be a perfect bride and pretending to be a perfect soldier and failing at both, that gender is ultimately performative.
Toward a queer Disney canon|Emily VanDerWerff|September 4, 2020|Vox
That’s the whole crux of the fight that’s happening right now with Tik Tok.
The crux of this issue is in transitioning away from the view that work gives life meaning and life is about using work to survive, towards a view of living a life that itself is fulfilling and meaningful.
The Global Work Crisis: Automation, the Case Against Jobs, and What to Do About It|Peter Xing|August 6, 2020|Singularity Hub
It seems like the neighbor cells are the crux, in addition to the encoding neurons themselves, the team explained.
Towards ‘Eternal Sunshine’? New Links Found Between Memory and Emotion|Shelly Fan|July 28, 2020|Singularity Hub
The crux of the problem remains on this side of the Pacific.
Obama and Xi Jinping Say They’ll Work Together to Save Environment|Ben Leung|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The crux of the matter is not the date of the next elections, but ensuring that elections are free, fair, and clean.
Thailand: Into the Void|Lennox Samuels|March 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That, he says, is at the crux of why Pope Francis wants to train more exorcists.
Vatican and Pope Francis Seek New Demon Exorcists|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And yet, despite the banter, the crux of the issue is the feasibility of it all.
IVF for Just $300 Could Be a Reality Soon|Randi Hutter Epstein|August 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The crux is new representation: of body, of proportion, of aesthetic ideals.
Monsters of Fashion Exhibition Opens in Paris|Sarah Moroz|February 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Priests are portrayed in adoration of the crux ansata before phallic monuments.
The Sex Worship and Symbolism of Primitive Races|Sanger Brown, II
Now we approach the crux and pinnacle of this inquirendo into the art and mystery of smoking.
Shandygaff|Christopher Morley
The crux of the situation rested on such a man as they should place in the highest office in the state.
The Landloper|Holman Day
The crux of all the critics, orthodox and heterodox, is the story about the fish.
Who Wrote the Bible?|Washington Gladden
This making of nothingness the crux of a tremendous achievement was a step in complete harmony with the genius of the Hindu.
The Hindu-Arabic Numerals|David Eugene Smith
British Dictionary definitions for crux (1 of 2)
crux
/ (krʌks) /
nounpluralcruxesorcruces (ˈkruːsiːz)
a vital or decisive stage, point, etc (often in the phrase the crux of the matter)
a baffling problem or difficulty
mountaineeringthe most difficult and often decisive part of a climb or pitch