critically

Critically is the adverbial form of the adjective critical. It has several related senses: performing an evaluation or judgment, emphasizing severity or importance, and describing a manner of analysis that is careful, skeptical, and evidence-based. In this sense, it often appears in phrases such as think critically, analyze critically, or examine something critically.

In ordinary usage, to think or evaluate something critically means to scrutinize its claims, evidence, and implications rather than accepting them at face value. It is closely linked to critical thinking, a systematic approach to evaluating information, arguments, and sources. The word can also function as an intensifier, as in a situation or statement described as critically important or critically necessary, though this use tends to be more formal or emphatic.

In medical contexts, critically describes a dangerous or life-threatening state, as in a patient is critically ill or in critical condition. In criticism and journalism, critically modified phrases such as critically acclaimed or critically reviewed indicate appraisal by experts or commentators; the term signals reliance on evaluation rather than mere description.

Etymology and usage notes: critically derives from critical, which traces to Latin criticus and Greek kritikos ‘able to judge,’ via Old French critique. The adverbial suffix -ly forms the standard English adverb from the adjective. Related terms include critical thinking, critical theory, critique, and criticism.