crucial

adjective
cru·cial
/ˈkɹuː.ʃəl/

Essential or decisive for determining the outcome or future of something; extremely important; vital.

Example

“The battle of Tali-Ihantala in 1944 is one of the crucial moments in the history of Finland.”

Other meanings

Cruciform or cruciate; cross-shaped.
Very good; excellent; particularly applied to reggae music.
“Delbert Wilkins is the most crucial pirate radio DJ in Brixton.”

Synonyms

important

Related words

cruciality
crucially
crucialness
noncrucial
crucial experiment

Example sentences

“Data protection is crucial in the modern age.”
Tatoeba · Igider · CC0

Word history

From French "crucial".

Where this comes from

This definition is adapted from “crucial” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; example sentences are from Tatoeba, credited to their authors above; related-word lists use Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0, based on Princeton WordNet), published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.