- in a judgmental or disapproving manner: The backlash was immediate after he spoke critically of his opponent’s personal life.
- in a manner involving skillful analysis of merit, as of a decision or work of art or literature: a critically sanctioned project; critically admired novels.
- to a devastating degree, leading to or reaching a crisis: As floodwaters rise, we are critically lacking sandbags and evacuation transport.
- seriously or extremely, as of a gravely unstable medical condition: critically injured; a critically ill pneumonia patient.
- with decisive or essential importance with respect to the outcome; crucially; indispensably: The success of this experiment critically relies on optimal weather.
