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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)

Critical \Crit"ic*al\ (kr[i^]t"[i^]*kal), a. [See {Critic}, n.,
{Crisis}.]
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1. Qualified to criticise, or pass judgment upon, literary or
artistic productions.
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It is submitted to the judgment of more critical
ears to direct and determine what is graceful and
what is not. --Holder.
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2. Pertaining to criticism or the critic's art; of the nature
of a criticism; accurate; as, critical knowledge; a
critical dissertation.
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3. Inclined to make nice distinctions, or to exercise careful
judgment and selection; exact; nicely judicious.
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Virgil was so critical in the rites of religion,
that he would never have brought in such prayers as
these, if they had not been agreeable to the Roman
customs. --Bp.
Stillingfleet.
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4. Inclined to criticise or find fault; fastidious; captious;
censorious; exacting.
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O gentle lady, do not put me to 't,
For I am nothing, if not critical. --Shak.
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5. Characterized by thoroughness and a reference to
principles, as becomes a critic; as, a critical analysis
of a subject.
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6. [See {Crisis}.] Pertaining to, or indicating, a crisis,
turning point, or specially important juncture; important
as regards consequences; hence, of doubtful issue;
attended with risk; dangerous; as, the critical stage of a
fever; a critical situation.
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Our circumstances are indeed critical. --Burke.
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The small moment, the exact point, the critical
minute, on which every good work so much depends.
--South.
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{Critical angle} (Optics), that angle of incidence of a
luminous ray at which it is wholly reflected, and no
portion of it transmitted. The sine of this angle is the
reciprocal of the refractive index of the medium.

{Critical philosophy}, the metaphysical system of Kant; -- so
called from his most important work, the "Critique of Pure
Reason."
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