Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations

Click to move up the list of words
Croydon
croze
crozier
CRP
CRT (1)
CRT (2)
cru
cruces
crucial
cruciate
crucible
crucible steel
crucifer
crucifix
Crucifixion
crucifixion
cruciform
Click to move down the list of words
Print Preview
See pronunciation key
Search for "crucially" in all of MSN Encarta
E-mail this entry
Blog about this entry on MSN Spaces
Download the MSN Encarta Right-Click Dictionary

crucial

cru·cial [ krsh'l ]


adjective 
Definition:
 
1. decisive: most vital and of the greatest significance in determining an outcome

2. important: very important or significant ( informal )

[Early 18th century. < French< Latin cruc- "cross"]

cru·cial·ly adverb

Word Usage

Crucial has the core meaning of decisive: Her tie-breaking vote was crucial. However, crucial has been trivialized to the point that it often means nothing more than "important." This is especially true in media reports in which a hard-hitting word is often more attractive to the reporter: If proportional representation is adopted, it is crucial (= important) to choose the best method. Avoid overusing crucial in formal college writing; it is better reserved for superlatives.

Advertisement

Also on Encarta
Englishtown: Learn English online
Our Partners
Also on MSN
Encarta Message Boards (© Rubberball/Jupiterimages)
Shopping
© 2009 Microsoft