Crux Meaning
/kɹʌks/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe basic, central, or essential point or feature.
nounThe critical or transitional moment or issue, a turning point.
Sentence Examples
The crux of his argument can be found on p. 56.
That's the crux of the matter.
The crux of the matter is poverty, not responsibility.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ of the matter is whether we can afford the new car.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ of his argument can be found on p. 56.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Latin crux (“cross, wooden frame for execution”), possibly from the Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, to bend”). Doublet of cross and crouch (“cross”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The mad certitude of the ogre, Abel Tiffauges, that he stands at the crux of history and that he will be able to raise Prussia "to a higher power" (p. 180), contrasts sharply with the anxiety and doubt attendant upon most modern literary dreams."
— 1993, Laurence M. Porter, “Real Dreams, Literary Dreams, and the Fantastic in Literature”, in Carol Schreier Rupprecht, editor, The Dream and the Text: Essays on Literature and Language, pages 32–47:
"The movie hits its dramatic crux an hour in, when Reality [Winner], at work at the contractor’s facility in Georgia, discovers what she deems a tragic scandal."
— 2024 September 11, Richard Brody, ““Winner” Takes Political Comedy Seriously”, in The New Yorker, archived from the original on 03 Oct 2024:
"What I have advanced upon this species of verse will contribute to solve a poetical problem, thrown out by Dryden as a crux to his brethren"
— 1775, Thomas Sheridan, Lectures on the Art of Reading:
"The perpetual crux of New Testament chronologists."
— 1860, Marian Evans (translator), The Life of Jesus, Critically Examined (originally by David Strauss)
"the real crux of the climb was encountered"
— 1907, The Alpine Journal, volume 23:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ of the matter is whether we can afford the new car.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ of his argument can be found on p. 56.