crucial

adjective

cru·​cial ˈkrü-shəl 

1

a

: important, significant

… what use we make of them will be the crucial question.

—Stanley Kubrick

Vitamins 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

Choose the Right Synonym for crucial

acute, critical, crucial mean of uncertain outcome.

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

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

Examples of crucial in a Sentence

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

His five-year pro bono initiative provides crucial guidance to Veteran organizations, ensuring sustainable growth and long-term success. —Grace Butler, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024

Patience and persistence are crucial in navigating these hurdles. —Mustafa Gandhi, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024

Certified transcripts are crucial for appeals, and the absence of such records can be a factor in judicial decisions on child custody, domestic violence and other high-stakes legal matters, according to the lawsuit. —Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 11 Dec. 2024

Many other corporations within finance, media, technology and elsewhere have division CEOs who are crucial to business operations yet don’t receive the security protections that the top CEO does. —Matt Egan, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024

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

the crucial game of a series

2

: very important : significant

water is a crucial element in our weather

crucially

ˈkrüsh-(ə-)lē

adverb

Etymology

from French crucial "having the form of a cross, being or involving a crisis," from Latin cruc-, crux "cross, trouble, torture" — related to cross, crucify, crux