crisis
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a time of great danger or trouble, especially in politics or the economy.
an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending, often with the possibility of a highly undesirable outcome.
Simple“The government is meeting today to discuss the current economic crisis.”
In context“The sudden collapse of the national bank triggered a financial crisis that spread rapidly across the global markets.”
UsageThe plural form is 'crises'.
PitfallThe country is facing many crisises. The country is facing many crises.The plural of crisis is crises, pronounced with a long 'ee' sound at the end.
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a very difficult or stressful time in your life.
a traumatic or stressful change in a person's life, often requiring significant psychological adjustment.
Simple“He went through a midlife crisis and decided to change his career entirely.”
In context“After the loss of her business, she experienced a personal crisis that forced her to re-evaluate her long-term goals.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
the moment in a serious illness when a patient either starts to get better or gets much worse.
the change in the course of a disease which indicates whether the patient will recover or succumb.
Simple“The doctor said the patient's fever has reached a crisis tonight.”
In context“The medical team monitored the patient closely, knowing that once the crisis passed, the recovery phase could finally begin.”
Synonyms - 04 C2 Proficiency
the most exciting or important part of a story before the ending.
the point in a play or story at which the tension reaches its highest point and must be resolved.
Simple“The play reaches its crisis in the second act when the secret is revealed.”
In context“In classical tragedy, the crisis serves as the structural pivot where the protagonist's fortunes take an irreversible turn toward the final catastrophe.”
Usage crisis currently facing · crisis point · current crisis
“Five years into their hard-line rule, the Taliban find themselves in crisis at home and abroad.”
“DHS further obtained financial records related to the Sunrise Movement, a national non-profit focused on the climate crisis.”
From Latin crisis, from Ancient Greek κρίσις (krísis, “a separating, power of distinguishing, decision, choice, election, judgment, dispute”), from κρίνω (krínō, “pick out, choose, decide, judge”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.