Definitions and Examples of critical, essential, important
Learn when and how to use these words with these examples!
Expressing adverse or disapproving comments or judgments; involving or requiring careful judgment or evaluation.
Example
The teacher gave critical feedback on the student's essay to help them improve their writing skills.
Absolutely necessary; extremely important.
Example
Water is essential for human survival.
Of great significance or value; likely to have a profound effect on success, survival, or well-being.
Example
It is important to wear sunscreen to protect your skin from harmful UV rays.
Key Differences: critical vs essential vs important
- 1Critical refers to expressing disapproving comments or judgments, while essential and important refer to something that is necessary or of great significance.
- 2Essential is an absolute term that denotes something that is absolutely necessary, while important is a relative term that describes something that is significant or valuable.
- 3Critical and important are both gradable adjectives, but critical has a more negative connotation than important.
Effective Usage of critical, essential, important
- 1Academic Writing: Use critical to analyze and evaluate arguments and evidence.
- 2Everyday Conversation: Use essential and important to describe things that are necessary or valuable in daily life.
- 3Business Communication: Use important to emphasize the significance of a project or task.
Remember this!
The antonyms of noncritical are critical, essential, and important. These words have distinct meanings and usage. Use critical to express disapproving comments or judgments, essential to denote something that is absolutely necessary, and important to describe something that is significant or valuable.
