Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective crucial contrast with its synonyms?

The words acute and critical are common synonyms of crucial. While all three words mean "of uncertain outcome," 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

Where would acute be a reasonable alternative to crucial?

While the synonyms acute and crucial are close in meaning, acute stresses intensification of conditions leading to a culmination or breaking point.

an acute housing shortage

How are the words critical and acute related as synonyms of crucial?

Critical adds to acute implications of imminent change, of attendant suspense, and of decisiveness in the outcome.

the war has entered a critical phase

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of crucial Carlen believes this opens a crucial frontier for interdisciplinary research, especially in cities like Los Angeles, where uneven geographies, biodiversity and political decisions intersect daily. Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2025 Cloudflare's system could also threaten web projects like The Internet Archive, which notably played a crucial role in helping track data deleted from government websites after Donald Trump took office. ArsTechnica, 9 July 2025 And many emergency management experts and state disaster response officials say that FEMA plays a crucial role that state governments cannot fill. Rebecca Hersher, NPR, 9 July 2025 With excitement growing over his pace and death-bowling abilities in the crucial latter stages of an innings — ramped up after a final-over hat-trick against Middlesex in the Twenty20 Blast — England fast-tracked him. Max Mathews, New York Times, 9 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for crucial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crucial
Adjective
  • Those were key questions Friday night during the mostly crowd-pleasing 2025 Happy Together Tour performance at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay.
    George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 July 2025
  • Whether or not the agency could maintain the independence necessary to be seen as legitimate emerged as a key concern during Friday’s board meeting.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 12 July 2025
Adjective
  • This figure has already surpassed the 1,274 cases recorded during the peak year of 2019, marking a critical public health milestone reached just halfway through 2025.
    Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 July 2025
  • States loan the money to cities and towns at low interest rates, enabling communities to spread out the cost of critical government services people take for granted, such as replacing leaky street mains, maintaining treatment plants and rehabbing water towers.
    Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 6 July 2025
Adjective
  • Starting conversations isn’t just vital for deals to eventually get done; it’s also required to build your understanding of the market and is a critical first step before any successes can be achieved.
    Travis Clinger, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
  • As climate extremes intensify and global tipping points loom, Earth science has never been more vital — but not everyone is treating it that way.
    Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 11 July 2025
Adjective
  • This is the first of a six-part series looking at figures who have played a pivotal role in a modern football success story.
    Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 3 July 2025
  • Understanding the gravity of a red flag warning and adhering to these precautions is pivotal in reducing the risk of wildfires during these hazardous conditions.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 3 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Crucial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crucial. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on crucial

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