marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws; "a critical attitude"
characterized by careful evaluation and judgment; "a critical reading"; "a critical dissertation"; "a critical analysis of Melville's writings"
being in or verging on a state of crisis or emergency; "a critical shortage of food"; "a critical illness"; "an illness at the critical stage"
at or of a point at which a property or phenomenon suffers an abrupt change especially having enough mass to sustain a chain reaction; "a critical temperature of water is 100 degrees C--its boiling point at standard atmospheric pressure"; "critical mass"; "go critical"
forming or having the nature of a turning point or crisis; "a critical point in the campaign"; "the critical test"
urgently needed; absolutely necessary; "a critical element of the plan"; "critical medical supplies"; "vital for a healthy society"; "of vital interest"
of or involving or characteristic of critics or criticism; "critical acclaim"
discovered or determined by scientific observation; "variation in the ascertained flux depends on a number of factors"; "the discovered behavior norms"; "discovered differences in achievement"; "no explanation for the observed phenomena"
a relaxation or slackening of tensions or reserve; becoming less hostile; "the thaw between the United States and Russia has led to increased cooperation in world affairs"
warm weather following a freeze; snow and ice melt; "they welcomed the spring thaw"
the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid; "the power failure caused a refrigerator melt that was a disaster"; "the thawing of a frozen turkey takes several hours"
furnish with a preface or introduction; "She always precedes her lectures with a joke"; "He prefaced his lecture with a critical remark about the institution"
move ahead (of others) in time or space
be the predecessor of; "Bill preceded John in the long line of Susan's husbands"
come before; "Most English adjectives precede the noun they modify"
make more precise or increase the discriminatory powers of; "refine a method of analysis"; "refine the constant in the equation"
attenuate or reduce in vigor, strength, or validity by polishing or purifying; "many valuable nutrients are refined out of the foods in our modern diet"
reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; separate from extraneous matter or cleanse from impurities; "refine sugar"
treat or prepare so as to put in a usable condition; "refine paper stock"; "refine pig iron"; "refine oil"
fraught with uncertainty or doubt; "they were doubtful that the cord would hold"; "it was doubtful whether she would be admitted"; "dubious about agreeing to go"
open to doubt or suspicion; "the candidate's doubtful past"; "he has a dubious record indeed"; "what one found uncertain the other found dubious or downright false"; "it was more than dubitable whether the friend was as influential as she thought"- Karen Horney
unsettled in mind or opinion; "drew a few tentative conclusions"
lengthen in time; cause to be or last longer; "We prolonged our stay"; "She extended her visit by another day"; "The meeting was drawn out until midnight"
lengthen or extend in duration or space; "We sustained the diplomatic negotiations as long as possible"; "prolong the treatment of the patient"; "keep up the good work"