critical condition

noun

plural critical conditions

medical : a serious state in which an ill or injured individual has dangerously unstable or abnormal vital signs and typically requires short-term life support measures (such as mechanical respiration or defibrillation) for stabilization and support prior to or during recovery

The man sustained serious injuries and is still unconscious and in critical condition at Salina Hope Hospital.

—Ingrid Law

A 12-year-old girl was in critical condition today at Children's Hospital with the rare but often deadly hantavirus.

—The New York Times

Examples of critical condition in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Four people remained hospitalized with two of them in critical condition. —David Chiu, People.com, 3 Feb. 2025

The Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, reported that 14 women and one man were killed, with 15 others, all women, sustaining injuries, some in critical condition. —Daniel Orton, Newsweek, 3 Feb. 2025

The woman was hospitalized in critical condition, the Orlando Police Department said in a Feb. 1 news release. —Mark Price, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2025

Jensen, 44, has been hospitalized since Friday and remained in critical condition as of Monday afternoon. —Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 3 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

critical condition

noun

: a serious medical state in which an ill or injured individual has dangerously unstable or abnormal vital signs and typically requires short-term life support measures (such as mechanical respiration or defibrillation) for stabilization and support prior to or during recovery

The safe transport of infants in critical condition requires highly reliable inter-professional transport teams that are equipped with the expertise to provide neonatal care in unfamiliar and resource-limited environments.

—Douglas M. Campbell and Rita Dadiz, Seminars in Perinatology

The large number of patients with COVID-19, suspected cases, hospitalizations, and patients in critical condition has made the medical work incredibly hard.

—Jing Huang et al., Clinical Infectious Diseases