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Critical vs. Important — What's the Difference?

Critical vs. Important — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Critical and Important

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Critical

Expressing adverse or disapproving comments or judgements
I was very critical of the previous regime

Important

Strongly affecting the course of events or the nature of things; significant
An important message that must get through.
Close friends who are important to me.

Critical

Expressing or involving an analysis of the merits and faults of a work of literature, music, or art
She never won the critical acclaim she sought

Important

Having high social rank or influence; prominent
Government leaders and other important people.

Critical

(of a situation or problem) having the potential to become disastrous; at a point of crisis
The floodwaters had not receded and the situation was still critical
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Important

Having or suggesting a consciousness of high position or authority; authoritative
Recited the decree with an important air.

Critical

Relating to or denoting a point of transition from one state to another
If the density is less than a certain critical value the gravitational attraction will be too weak to halt the expansion

Important

(Obsolete) Importunate.

Critical

(of a nuclear reactor or fuel) maintaining a self-sustaining chain reaction
The reactor is due to go critical in October

Important

Having relevant and crucial value.
It is very important to give your daughter independence in her life so she learns from experience.

Critical

Judging severely and finding fault
A writer who is very critical of the government's foreign policy.

Important

(obsolete) Pompous; self-important.

Critical

Relating to or characterized by criticism; reflecting careful analysis and judgment
A critical appreciation of the filmmaker's work.

Important

Full of, or burdened by, import; charged with great interests; restless; anxious.
Thou hast strength as muchAs serves to execute a mind very important.

Critical

Of, relating to, or characteristic of critics
A play that received great critical acclaim.

Important

Carrying or possessing weight or consequence; of valuable content or bearing; significant; weighty.
Things small as nothing . . . He makes important.

Critical

Including scholarly commentary and interpretation
A critical edition of Poe's stories.

Important

Bearing on; forcible; driving.
He fiercely at him flew,And with important outrage him assailed.

Critical

Forming or having the nature of a turning point; crucial or decisive
A critical point in the campaign.

Important

Importunate; pressing; urgent.

Critical

(Medicine) Being or relating to a grave physical condition, especially of a patient.

Important

Of great significance or value;
Important people
The important questions of the day

Critical

Being in or verging on a state of crisis or emergency
A critical shortage of food.

Important

Important in effect or meaning;
A significant change in tax laws
A significant change in the Constitution
A significant contribution
Significant details
Statistically significant

Critical

Extremely important or essential
A critical element of the plan.
A second income that is critical to the family's well-being.

Important

Of extreme importance; vital to the resolution of a crisis;
A crucial moment in his career
A crucial election
A crucial issue for women

Critical

(Mathematics) Of or relating to a point at which a curve has a horizontal tangent line, as at a maximum or minimum.

Important

Having authority or ascendancy or influence;
An important official
The captain's authoritative manner

Critical

Chemistry & Physics Of or relating to the value of a measurement, such as temperature, at which an abrupt change in a quality, property, or state occurs
A critical temperature of water is 100°C, its boiling point at standard atmospheric pressure.

Important

Having or suggesting a consciousness of high position;
Recited the decree with an important air
Took long important strides in the direction of his office

Critical

(Physics) Capable of sustaining a nuclear chain reaction
The reactor has gone critical.

Critical

Inclined to find fault or criticize.
A good teacher is fair but critical.

Critical

Pertaining to, or indicating, a crisis or turning point.
This is a critical moment.

Critical

Extremely important.
It's critical that you deliver this on time.

Critical

Relating to criticism or careful analysis, such as literary or film criticism.
The movie was a critical success, but bombed at the box-office.

Critical

(medicine) Of a patient condition involving unstable vital signs and a prognosis that predicts the condition could worsen; or, a patient condition that requires urgent treatment in an intensive care or critical care medical facility.
The patient's condition is critical.

Critical

Likely to go out of control if disturbed, that is, opposite of stable.
The political situation was so critical that the government declared the state of siege.

Critical

(physics) Of the point (in temperature, reagent concentration etc.) where a nuclear or chemical reaction becomes self-sustaining.
The reaction was about to become critical.

Critical

(physics) Of a temperature that is equal to the temperature of the critical point of a substance, i.e. the temperature above which the substance cannot be liquefied.

Critical

A critical value, factor, etc.

Critical

In breakdancing, a kind of airflare move in which the dancer hops from one hand to the other.

Critical

Qualified to criticise, or pass judgment upon, literary or artistic productions.
It is submitted to the judgment of more critical ears to direct and determine what is graceful and what is not.

Critical

Pertaining to criticism or the critic's art; of the nature of a criticism; accurate; as, critical knowledge; a critical dissertation.

Critical

Inclined to make nice distinctions, or to exercise careful judgment and selection; exact; nicely judicious.
Virgil was so critical in the rites of religion, that he would never have brought in such prayers as these, if they had not been agreeable to the Roman customs.

Critical

Inclined to criticise or find fault; fastidious; captious; censorious; exacting.
O gentle lady, do not put me to 't,For I am nothing, if not critical.

Critical

Characterized by thoroughness and a reference to principles, as becomes a critic; as, a critical analysis of a subject.

Critical

Pertaining to, or indicating, a crisis, turning point, or specially important juncture; important as regards consequences; hence, of doubtful issue; attended with risk; dangerous; as, the critical stage of a fever; a critical situation.
Our circumstances are indeed critical.
The small moment, the exact point, the critical minute, on which every good work so much depends.

Critical

Marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws;
A critical attitude

Critical

At or of a point at which a property or phenomenon suffers an abrupt change especially having enough mass to sustain a chain reaction;
A critical temperature of water is 100 degrees C--its boiling point at standard atmospheric pressure
Critical mass
Go critical

Critical

Characterized by careful evaluation and judgment;
A critical reading
A critical dissertation
A critical analysis of Melville's writings

Critical

Urgently needed; absolutely necessary;
A critical element of the plan
Critical medical supplies
Vital for a healthy society
Of vital interest

Critical

Forming or having the nature of a turning point or crisis;
A critical point in the campaign
The critical test

Critical

Being in or verging on a state of crisis or emergency;
A critical shortage of food
A critical illness
An illness at the critical stage

Critical

Of or involving or characteristic of critics or criticism;
Critical acclaim

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