adj
crucial
KROO-shuhl
adj
1
Extremely important; essential to the outcome of something.
"Getting enough sleep is crucial before a big exam."
"Her testimony was crucial to winning the case."
How to Use Crucial
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSo important that it could decide how something turns out.
Common pairings
crucial role
crucial decision
crucial to success
Word Forms
more crucial comparative, most crucial superlative
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Getting enough sleep is _____ before a big exam.
Etymology
From French crucial, originally a medical term for the cross-shaped knee ligaments (from Latin crux, "cross"); the modern sense of "decisive" comes from Francis Bacon's use of the idea of a signpost at a fork in the road, where a critical choice must be made.