1
a
: important, significant
… what use we make of them will be the crucial question.—
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley KubrickVitamins 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
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
Assessing a model’s performance has become crucial for businesses to trust and ultimately adopt AI, Ratner said.
—Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
The timing piece is crucial, but the relationship building is everything.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 3 June 2025
Democrats currently hold a voter registration edge of roughly 800,000 over Republicans, but independents make up a crucial share of the electorate.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025
Both were crucial mental health resources during that dark time, and both found a wider embrace online for their niche comic sensibilities.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for crucial
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Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
The timing piece is crucial, but the relationship building is everything.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 3 June 2025
Democrats currently hold a voter registration edge of roughly 800,000 over Republicans, but independents make up a crucial share of the electorate.
—Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025
Both were crucial mental health resources during that dark time, and both found a wider embrace online for their niche comic sensibilities.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for crucial
Cite this Entry
“Crucial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crucial. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
crucial
adjective
cru·cial
ˈkrü-shəl 
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
adverb
ˈkrüsh-(ə-)lē
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