Synonyms for

Crucial

Verb / ˈkru:ʃʌl / Another word for crucial — explore alternatives below. For syllable breakdowns and pronunciation, see this word on Syllablesworld.

Definition

Extremely important or necessary.

Synonyms & similar words

oftheessence noncrucial allimportant important essential essential vital critical important key pivotal fundamental significant indispensable necessary mandatory required requisite imperative central paramount decisive momentous weighty serious

Synonyms by register

Formal

pivotal critical vital essential

Informal

key major big important

Literary

momentous paramount

Antonyms

unimportant trivial insignificant minor secondary nonessential

Common collocations

  • crucial moment
  • crucial role
  • crucial factor
  • crucial decision
  • crucial stage
  • crucial information
  • crucial point

Word family

noun crux
adverb crucially

Usage note

Crucial emphasizes extreme importance, often implying a turning point or a matter of life and death. It is generally used in formal and semi-formal contexts.

Example sentences

  1. It is crucial to study for a test to do well.
  2. The doctor's diagnosis was crucial to saving the patient's life.
  3. Wearing a seatbelt is crucial to staying safe in a car.
  4. Having a good night's sleep is crucial to feeling well-rested.
  5. The chef said the secret ingredient was crucial to making the dish taste delicious.

Quotes

  • 'The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself.' - Mark Caine
  • 'The crucial thing is to find a truth which is truth for me, to find the idea for which I can live and die.' - Soren Kierkegaard
  • 'The crucial task of old age is balance: keeping just well enough, just brave enough, just gay and interested and starkly honest enough to remain a sentient human being.' - Florida Scott-Maxwell

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