英语词汇“critical”的释义、区别辨析及用法例句-英语同义词词典

critical adj.
⇨ critical (critical of sb's efforts) ⇨ essential (of critical importance) ⇨ serious 1 (critical illness)

critical

adjective

critical

♦︎

disapproving

♦︎

judgemental

♦︎

damningThese words all describe your reaction to sb/sth when you think that they are bad or wrong. 这些词均表示批评的、挑剔的、不以为然的。

PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS 句型和搭配

◆critical / disapproving of sb / sth

◆a critical / disapproving glance / look / voice

◆a critical / disapproving / judgemental tone / attitude

◆critical / disapproving / judgemental / damning comments

◆a critical / judgemental person

◆to cast a critical / disapproving eye at sb / sth

◆very critical / disapproving / judgemental

◆mildly critical / disapproving

■ critical

expressing what you think is bad or wrong about sb/sth 批评的；批判性的；挑剔的

◆They issued a critical report on the government's handling of the crisis.他们发表了一篇批评政府处理危机方式的报道。

◆Tom's parents were highly critical of the school.汤姆的父母对学校提出了强烈的批评。

OPP

uncritical

ⓘ

Uncritical is usually used in a disapproving way. * uncritical常含贬义

◆Her uncritical acceptance of everything I said began to irritate me.我说什么她都一味称是，开始让我感到不快。

see also

criticize ⇨

blame

▸

critically

adverb

◆He spoke critically of the government.他对政府颇有微词。

■ disapproving

showing that you feel that sb/sth is bad or wrong 不赞成的；表示反对的；不以为然的

◆She gave him a disapproving glance.她不以为然地瞥了他一眼。

◆She sounded disapproving as we discussed my plans.我们讨论我的计划时，她听起来不太赞成。

OPP

approving ⇨

good

see also

disapprove ⇨

disapprove

▸

disapprovingly

adverb

◆He shook his head disapprovingly.他不以为然地摇摇头。

■ judgemental

(BrE)

(also

judgmental

, especially in NAmE)

/ /dʒʌdʒˈmentl/ /

(disapproving)

judging sb/sth and criticizing them too quickly 动辄评头论足的；动辄指责的

◆Stop being so judgemental!别这样动不动就指责人！

see also

judge ⇨

judge

verb

■ damning

/ /ˈdæmɪŋ/ /

very critical of sb/sth; producing evidence to suggest that sb is guilty 非常挑剔的；刻薄的；导致定罪的

◆damning criticism / evidence谴责性的批评；足以定罪的证据

◆a damning conclusion / report批评性的结论／报告

◆Her report is expected to deliver a damning indictment of education standards.她的报告估计会对教育水平予以强烈的谴责。

OPP

glowing ⇨

good

essential

adjective

➡ See also the entries for

⇨ important

and

⇨ necessary

另见important条和necessary条

essential

♦︎

vital

♦︎

crucial

♦︎

critical

♦︎

decisive

♦︎

indispensable

♦︎

imperative

♦︎

pivotal

♦︎

of the essenceThese words all describe sb/sth that is extremely important and completely necessary because a particular situation or activity depends on them. 这些词均表示极其重要的、完全必要的。

PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS 句型和搭配

◆essential / vital / crucial / critical / decisive / indispensable / imperative / of the essence for sth

◆essential / vital / crucial / critical / indispensable / pivotal to sth

◆to be essential / vital / crucial / critical / imperative that...

◆to be essential / vital / crucial / critical / imperative to do sth

◆an essential / a vital / a crucial / a critical / a decisive / an indispensable / a pivotal part / factor

◆an essential / a vital / a crucial / a critical / an indispensable ingredient / tool

◆an essential / a vital / a crucial / a critical component

◆essential / vital / crucial services

◆the crucial / critical / decisive / pivotal moment

◆to play an essential / a vital / a crucial / a critical / a decisive / a pivotal part / role in sth

◆of vital / crucial / critical / decisive importance

◆absolutely essential / vital / crucial / critical / decisive / indispensable / imperative / pivotal

◆quite essential / vital / crucial / critical / decisive / indispensable

■ essential

extremely important and completely necessary, because without it sth cannot exist, be made or be successful 极其重要的；完全必要的；必不可少的

◆Experience is essential for this job.对于这个工作，经验是非常重要的。

◆Money is not essential to happiness.金钱并非是幸福必不可少的条件。

◆It is essential that you have some experience.你必须要有些经验，这很重要。

◆It is essential to keep the two groups separate.将这两个组隔开是完全必要的。

◆The museum is closed while essential repairs are being carried out.博物馆现正关闭以进行必要的修缮。

OPP

inessential

ⓘ

Inessential things are not necessary. * inessential指不必要的

◆inessential luxuries不必要的奢侈品

see also

essential ⇨

need

noun

■ vital

/ /ˈvaɪtl/ /

essential 极其重要的；完全必要的；必不可少的

◆Bean sprouts contain many of the vitamins that are vital for health.豆芽含有多种对健康来说必不可少的维生素。

◆Good financial accounts are vital to the success of any enterprise.妥善的金融账目对任何企业的成功都至关重要。

◆It is vital that you keep accurate records when you are self-employed.从事个体经营的人要准确记录账目，这十分重要。

◆The police play a vital role in our society.警察在我们的社会中起着极其重要的作用。

▸

vitally

adverb

◆Education is vitally important for the country's future.教育对国家的未来是极其重要的。

NOTE 辨析 Essential or vital?There is no real difference in meaning between these words and they can be used with the same range of nouns and structures. However, there can be a slight difference in tone. Essential is used to state a fact or opinion with authority. Vital is often used when there is some anxiety felt about sth, or a need to persuade sb that a fact or opinion is true, right or important. Vital is less often used in negative statements. 这两个词在含义上没有实质差别，所搭配的名词和结构也相同，但是语气上略有差异。essential指用权威的语气陈述事实或观点，vital常用于表示有些焦虑的语气，或用于劝说某人相信某一事实或观点是真实、正确或重要的。vital不常用于否定句

◆It was vital to show that he was not afraid.重要的是要表现出他毫不畏惧。

◆Money is not vital to happiness.

■ crucial

/ /ˈkruːʃl/ /

extremely important because a particular situation or activity depends on it 至关重要的；关键的

◆Winning this contract is absolutely crucial to our long term success.赢得这份合同对我们的长期成功绝对是至关重要的。

◆It is crucial that we get this right.我们把这个问题弄明白是极其重要的。

◆He wasn't there at the crucial moment (= when he was needed most).紧要关头他却不在那里。

▸

crucially

adverb

◆These things are all crucially important.这些事情全都极其重要。

■ critical

/ /ˈkrɪtɪkl/ /

crucial 至关重要的；关键的

◆Price and availability are the critical factors that will determine product success.价格和购买是否便利都是决定产品成功的关键因素。

◆If the temperature drops those critical two degrees, the engine will stop functioning.如果温度降低那关键的两度，发动机将停止运转。

▸

critically

adverb

◆The next few days will be critically important to the President's election chances.今后的几天对总统选举的成败至关重要。

NOTE 辨析 Crucial or critical?There is no real difference in meaning between these words and they can be used with the same range of nouns and structures. However, there is sometimes a slight difference in context. Critical is often used in technical matters of business or science; crucial is often used to talk about matters that may cause anxiety or other emotions. 这两个词在含义上没有实质差别，所搭配的名词和结构也相同，但是使用语境略有差异。critical常用于商务或科学语境谈论专业问题，crucial常修饰可能引发焦虑或其他情感的事情。

■ decisive

/ /dɪˈsaɪsɪv/ /

of the greatest importance in affecting the final result of a particular situation 决定性的；关键的

◆Gettysburg was the decisive battle of the Civil War.葛底斯堡战役在美国内战史上具有决定性的意义。

◆Signing the treaty was a decisive step (= an important action that will change a situation) towards a cleaner environment.条约的签署是向更洁净的环境迈出的关键性一步。

ⓘ

Decisive is not used simply to mean 'extremely important'. * decisive不单单表示非常重要

◆Reducing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is of decisive importance.

It is used when you are making a judgement that sb/sth was or will be the most important fact affecting the result of a particular past or future situation. * decisive是指对过往或将来之事态发展结果具决定性影响的

◆Morrison scored the decisive goal in the 75th minute of the game.莫里森在比赛进行到75分钟时进球得了关键的一分。

▸

decisively

adverb

◆The governing party is expected to win decisively in the elections.预计执政党将在大选中获得决定性的胜利。

■ indispensable

/ /ˌɪndɪˈspensəbl/ /

essential; too important to be without 不可或缺的；必不可少的

◆Cars have become an indispensable part of our lives.汽车已经成为我们生活中必不可少的一部分。

◆She made herself virtually indispensable to the department.她成功地让自己成了这个部门的中坚分子。

OPP

dispensable

ⓘ

Dispensable things are not necessary and can be got rid of. * dispensable指不必要的、可有可无的

◆They looked on music and art lessons as dispensable.他们觉得音乐课和艺术课可有可无。

■ imperative

/ /ɪmˈperətɪv/ /

[not usually before noun]

(formal)

extremely important and needing immediate attention or action 重要紧急的；迫切的；急需处理的

◆It is absolutely imperative that we finish by next week.我们的当务之急是在下周内把事情完成。

■ pivotal

/ /ˈpɪvətl/ /

(rather formal,

especially written)

extremely important because a particular situation or activity depends on it 关键性的；核心的

◆The Foreign Secretary has played a pivotal role in European affairs.外交部长在欧洲事务中起到了关键性的作用。

◆Accountancy, law and economics are pivotal to a successful career in any financial services area.会计学、法学和经济学在任何金融服务领域都是事业成功的关键。

ⓘ

Pivotal is used especially to describe the part that sb/sth plays in a particular situation; it is not used to describe items or actions that are just extremely important. * pivotal尤指在某一情形下所起的关键性作用，不用于描述非常关键的事物或行为

◆pivotal services/supplies/repairs

◆It is pivotal that we get this right.

■ of the ˈessence

idiom

(rather informal)

essential 必不可少；非常重要

◆In this situation time is of the essence (= we must do things as quickly as possible).在这种情况下，时间是关键。

◆Speed is of the essence when transporting casualties to hospital.运送伤者去医院时，速度至关重要。

serious

adjective

a serious problem/illness 严重的问题／疾病

a serious person/mood/expression 严肃的人／气氛／表情

a serious debate/newspaper 严肃的辩论／报纸

serious

♦︎

severe

♦︎

extreme

♦︎

critical

♦︎

grave

♦︎

acute

♦︎

drastic

♦︎

desperate

♦︎

dire

♦︎

bad

♦︎

life-threateningThese words all describe things and situations that involve or cause harm or damage to sb/sth. 这些词均表示严重的、危急的。

SYNONYM SCALE 词义标尺

下图显示这些词所表达严重的程度

serious	➔	severe	➔	extreme
critical		grave		drastic
bad		acute		desperate
				dire
				life-threatening

PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS 句型和搭配

◆a serious / a severe / a critical / a grave / an acute / a desperate / a bad / a life-threatening problem

◆a serious / a severe / an extreme / a critical / an acute / a desperate / a dire shortage

◆serious / severe / extreme / grave / acute danger

◆a serious / a severe / a grave / a dire threat

◆serious / severe / extreme / acute / desperate / dire poverty

◆a serious / an extreme / a critical / an acute / a desperate / a dire need

◆serious / grave / drastic / dire / bad consequences

◆a serious / a severe / a critical / a grave / an acute / a life-threatening illness

◆a serious / a severe / an acute / a life-threatening disease

◆a serious / a severe / a grave / an acute / a bad / a life-threatening injury

◆a serious / a severe / an acute / a life-threatening infection

◆a serious / a severe / an acute / a bad attack / bout

◆particularly serious / severe / extreme / grave / acute / dire / bad

◆very / extremely serious / severe / grave / acute / bad

■ serious

unpleasant or dangerous; that involves or might cause harm or damage to sb/sth 严重的；有危险的；可能造成伤害（或损伤）的

◆The storm caused serious damage to farm buildings.暴风雨给农场建筑物造成了严重破坏。

◆They pose a serious threat to security.他们对安全构成了严重威胁。

◆The consequences could be serious.后果可能是严重的。

OPP

minor ⇨

minor

see also

seriousness ⇨

importance

▸

seriously

adverb

◆Smoking can seriously damage your health.吸烟会严重损害你的健康。

■ severe

very serious 十分严重的；极为恶劣的

◆The victim suffered severe brain damage.受害人的大脑损伤十分严重。

◆The bridge has been closed due to severe weather conditions.由于恶劣的天气情况，这座大桥关闭了。

◆Strikes are causing severe disruption to all train services.罢工给所有铁路服务造成严重影响。

OPP

minor ⇨

minor

mild ⇨

gentle

▸

severely

adverb

◆Anyone breaking the law will be severely punished.违法者将受到严惩。

▸

severity

/ /sɪˈverəti/ /

noun

[uncountable]

◆The chances of a full recovery will depend on the severity of her injuries.能否彻底康复取决于她受伤的严重程度。

NOTE 辨析 Serious or severe? Severe is most often used to describe medical conditions and weather conditions. Serious is not used to describe weather conditions. * severe最常用于描述疾病状况或天气情况，serious则不用于描述天气情况

◆serious weather

◆a serious winter

Serious is used to describe medical conditions in everyday English, but in medical English severe is used. 在日常用语中用serious描述病情，但在医学用语中用severe

◆a serious illness严重的疾病

◆severe learning difficulties严重学习障碍

■ extreme

(of a situation or action) not ordinary or usual; serious or severe （局势或行为）异乎寻常的，严重的

◆Children will be removed from their parents only in extreme circumstances.只有在极端情况下才会让孩子离开父母。

◆Don't go doing anything extreme like leaving the country.不要做出诸如离开国家之类的极端行为。

◆It was the most extreme example of cruelty to animals I had ever seen.这是我见过的最严重的虐待动物的事例。

◆extreme weather conditions极端恶劣的天气情况

see also

extreme ⇨

maximum

■ critical

(rather formal)

serious, uncertain and possibly dangerous 严重的；不稳定的；可能有危险的

◆The first 24 hours after the operation are the most critical.病人手术后24小时是最危险的。

◆

(BrE)

One of the victims of the fire remains in a critical condition.一名火灾受害者依然病情危急。

◆

(NAmE)

One of the victims remains in critical condition.其中一名受害者依然病情危急。

◆This is a critical moment in our country's history.这是我国历史上的危急关头。

ⓘ Critical is often used with illness and condition to describe medical situations in which there is a possibility that the patient may not survive. Critical is also often used with words relating to time such as moment, period, phase, point, stage, time and years to talk about a time during which an important situation could end in failure or success. * critical常与illness和condition连用，指病人生命危在旦夕。critical也常与有关时间的词连用，如moment、period、phase、point、stage、time和years，指胜败存亡攸关的时刻。

▸

critically

adverb

◆He is critically ill in hospital.他病得很重，住院了。

■ grave

(formal)

very serious and important; giving you a reason to feel worried 严重的；严峻的；深切的

◆I fear you are making a very grave mistake.恐怕你正在犯一个严重错误。

◆The police have expressed grave concern about the missing child's safety.警方对失踪孩子的安全深表关切。

◆We were in grave danger.我们处于极大的危险之中。

ⓘ Grave is used with such words as error, mistake, offence and violation to talk about things that people do wrong. Grave is also used with words like concern, doubt, misgivings, reservations, suspicions and worries to talk about strong feelings that people have when they are worrying about sth. When grave is used to talk about situations, it is often used with such words as consequences, danger, implications, problems, risk and threat. * grave可与error、mistake、offence和violation等词连用，指严重的错误。grave也可与concern、 doubt、misgiving、reservation、suspicion和worry等词连用，指对某事深切的担忧。grave还常与consequence、danger、implication、problem、risk和threat等词连用，表示情况严峻。

see also

gravity ⇨

importance

▸

gravely

adverb

◆Local people are gravely concerned.当地人都深感不安。

■ acute

/ /əˈkjuːt/ /

(rather formal)

very serious or severe 十分严重的

◆The scandal was an acute embarrassment for the President.这桩丑闻使总统处于极度难堪的境地。

◆Competition for jobs is acute.求职竞争非常激烈。

ⓘ An acute illness is one that has quickly become severe and dangerous. * acute形容疾病时表示急性的

◆He was suffering from acute chest pains.他患了急性胸痛。

OPP

chronic

A chronic illness or problem is one that lasts for a long time and is difficult to cure or get rid of. * chronic表示疾病是慢性的，难以治愈，或问题长期存在，难以根除

◆chronic bronchitis / arthritis / asthma慢性支气管炎／关节炎／哮喘

◆the country's chronic unemployment problem该国长期存在的失业问题

▸

acutely

adverb

◆She suddenly felt acutely embarrassed.她突然感到极其尴尬。

■ drastic

(especially of an action) extreme in a way that has a sudden, serious or violent effect on sth （尤指行为）极端的，急剧的，严厉的，猛烈的

◆The government is threatening to take drastic action.政府警告说要采取断然措施。

◆Talk to me before you do anything drastic.你采取激烈行动之前要跟我商量。

▸

drastically

adverb

◆Output has been drastically reduced.产量已急剧下降。

◆Things have started to go drastically wrong.情况开始变得完全失控。

■ desperate

/ /ˈdespərət/ /

extremely serious or dangerous 极严重的；极危险的；很危急的

◆The children are in desperate need of love and attention.这些孩子非常需要爱和关怀。

◆They face a desperate shortage of clean water.他们面临洁净水的严重短缺。

ⓘ Desperate is used to talk about situations in which people need sth. * desperate用于谈论人们急需某物的情况。

▸

desperately

adverb

◆She felt desperately in need of human company.她非常想有个人做伴。

■ dire

/ /ˈdaɪə(r)/ /

[usually before noun]

(especially BrE,

formal)

extremely serious 极其严重的；危急的

◆They were living in dire poverty.他们生活赤贫。

◆The firm is in dire straits (= in a very difficult situation) and may go bankrupt.该公司已陷入极度困境之中，可能会破产。

ⓘ Dire is not used to talk about medical conditions. In American English it is only used in the phrase in dire straits. * dire不指病情严重。在美式英语中该词仅用在短语in dire straits中。

■ bad

(rather informal,

especially spoken)

serious; severe 严重的；剧烈的

◆The engagement was a bad mistake.这婚约是个严重错误。

◆It was a very bad winter that year.那年冬天极为寒冷。

◆My headache is getting worse.我头痛得越来越厉害了。

ⓘ Bad can be used to describe many unpleasant situations, but it is not used to describe danger or an emergency. It is rather informal and used especially in spoken English; in formal or written English it is often better to choose one of the other words in this group. * bad可用于表示许多不愉快的情况，但不修饰危险或紧急情况。该词很不正式，尤用于口语中。在正式或书面用语中，最好选用本组词汇中的其他词语。

▸

badly

adverb

◆The building is badly in need of repair.这栋大楼急需维修。

■ ˈlife-threatening

that is likely to kill sb 可能致命的；威胁生命的

◆His heart condition is not life-threatening.他的心脏病不会危及生命。

◆Aid workers are having to deal with very difficult, sometimes life-threatening situations.救援人员不得不应对一些艰难的情况，有时可能会威胁生命。

ⓘ Life-threatening is used to talk about medical conditions, and dangerous situations in which accidents might happen. * life-threatening用于修饰病情及可能发生意外事故的危险情况。