Crucial Meaning
/ˈkɹuː.ʃəl/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjEssential or decisive for determining the outcome or future of something; extremely important; vital.
adjCruciform or cruciate; cross-shaped.
Sentence Examples
My courage failed me at the crucial moment.
The negotiations stepped into a crucial phase.
The next few weeks are going to be crucial.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
It is ____ that you submit your application before the deadline tomorrow.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
My courage failed me at the ____ moment.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The perfume industry is facing a major problem: maintaining constant levels of quality is crucial, but it is increasingly difficult to obtain a regular supply of all the necessary natural ingredients."
— 2014 March 7, Nicole Vulser, “Perfume manufacturers must cope with the scarcity of precious supplies”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 190, number 13, page 30:
"Vocabulary provides a foundation from which grammar, phonology, and morphology emerge, and in a subject area it provides access to conceptual knowledge. Vocabulary selection for pedagogical purposes is therefore crucial."
— 2018, Clarence Green, James Lambert, “Advancing disciplinary literacy through English for academic purposes: Discipline-specific wordlists, collocations and word families for eight secondary subjects”, in Journal of English for Academic Purposes, volume 35, →DOI, page 106:
"Language is crucial because it is the best weapon against violence. When children don’t have the words to express their thoughts, they raise their fists."
— 2021 October 1, A Falun Dafa practitioner in France, “Using Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to Guide My Young Students”, in Minghui:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
It is ____ that you submit your application before the deadline tomorrow.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
My courage failed me at the ____ moment.