crucial
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
extremely important because it will affect the final result of something.
essential or decisive for determining the outcome or future of a situation; vital to success.
Simple“The goalkeeper made a crucial save in the final minute of the game.”
In context“The research team reached a crucial stage in the experiment where any minor error could invalidate months of data collection.”
UsageOften followed by the prepositions 'to' or 'for'.
PitfallThis is more crucial than that. This is more important than that.While common in speech, 'crucial' is often considered a non-gradable adjective in formal writing; something is either crucial or it is not.
- 02 C1 Advanced
very good or excellent, especially when talking about music.
a slang term of approval meaning excellent or of high quality; historically associated with reggae culture.
Simple“That new track they played last night was absolutely crucial.”
In context“The DJ was known for spinning crucial reggae cuts that you couldn't hear anywhere else in the city.”
Teacher's tipThis usage is specific to certain dialects and subcultures, particularly in Jamaican English; learners should use 'essential' in most other contexts.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
shaped like a cross.
having the form of a cross; cruciform.
Simple“The botanist noted the crucial arrangement of the petals on the rare flower.”
In context“The ancient structure was built upon a crucial ground plan, with four wings extending from a central hub.”
UsageIn modern English, 'cruciform' is almost always preferred for this meaning.
Synonymscruciformcross shaped
Usage crucial first · crucial aspect · crucial component
“It was a great luxury to work that way.” Cultural exchange has always been a crucial part of Japan’s story and how its art travels.”
“He also gains the trust of the riverland armies, who play a crucial role in season three.”
1706, from French crucial, a medical term for ligaments of the knee (which cross each other), from Latin crux, crucis (“cross”) (English crux), from the Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, to bend”). The meaning “decisive, critical” is extended from a logical term, Instantias Crucis, adopted by Francis Bacon in his influential Novum Organum (1620); the notion is of cross fingerboard signposts at forking roads, thus a requirement to choose.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.