1580s, "censorious," from critic + -al (1). Meaning "pertaining to criticism" is from 1741; medical sense is from c. 1600; meaning "of the nature of a crisis" is from 1640s; that of "crucial" is from 1841, from the "decisive" sense in Latin criticus. Related: Criticality (1756; in the nuclear sense, 1950); critically (1650s, "accurately;" 1815, "in a critical situation"). In nuclear science, critical mass is attested from 1940.
雙語例句
1. I gather his report is highly critical of the trial judge.
據(jù)我所知，他在報道中毫不留情地批評了初審法官。
來自柯林斯例句
2. I hated my father. He was hyper-critical and mean.
我討厭我父親。他吹毛求疵，刻薄無情。
來自柯林斯例句
3. If someone says something critical I take it to heart.
如果有人提出批評，我會十分介意。
來自柯林斯例句
4. The paper is openly critical of the strong-arm president.
該報紙對這位鐵腕總統(tǒng)進行公開的批評。
來自柯林斯例句
5. Environmentalists say a critical factor in the city's pollution is its population.