crucial

adjective

cru·​cial ˈkrü-shəl How to pronounce crucial (audio)
Synonyms of crucial
1
a
: important, significant
… what use we make of them will be the crucial question.—Stanley Kubrick
Vitamins are crucial for maintaining good health.
b
: important or essential as resolving a crisis : decisive
She played a crucial role in the negotiations.
c
: marked by final determination of a doubtful issue
the crucial game of a series
2
archaic : cruciform

Synonyms of crucial

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acute, critical, crucial mean of uncertain outcome.

acute stresses intensification of conditions leading to a culmination or breaking point.

an acute housing shortage

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

the war has entered a critical phase

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

Examples of crucial in a Sentence

Vitamins are crucial for maintaining good health. It's crucial that we arrive before 8 o'clock. Teachers are crucial to the success of the school. She played a crucial role in the meeting.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Merino did the rest, sending his shot to the back left corner of the net to give Spain the crucial score. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 July 2026 The offering will be a crucial test of investors’ desire to keep funding the AI boom. — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 6 July 2026 The crucial pretrial hearing was pushed back as prosecutors and defense attorneys sparred over what evidence could be presented and if cameras would be allowed in the courtroom. — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 6 July 2026 Bananas Bananas provide potassium, a mineral that plays a crucial role in managing blood pressure by counteracting the effects of sodium. — Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 6 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for crucial

Word History

Etymology

French, from Latin cruc-, crux cross

First Known Use

1706, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of crucial was in 1706

Rhymes for crucial

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Browse Nearby Words

crucethouse
crucial
cruciality
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Cite this Entry

“Crucial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crucial. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

crucial

adjective
cru·​cial ˈkrü-shəl How to pronounce crucial (audio)
1
: being a final or very important test or decision : decisive
the crucial game of a series
2
: very important : significant
water is a crucial element in our weather
crucially
ˈkrüsh-(ə-)lē
adverb
Etymology

from French crucial "having the form of a cross, being or involving a crisis," from Latin cruc-, crux "cross, trouble, torture" — related to cross, crucify, crux

More from Merriam-Webster on crucial

Nglish: Translation of crucial for Spanish Speakers

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