kritischste

Kritischste is the superlative form of the German adjective kritisch, meaning most critical or most decisive. It is used when comparing several items and signaling the highest degree of evaluation, urgency, or importance.

In attributive position before a noun, kritischste appears with the appropriate article and gender: der kritischste Punkt, die kritischste Frage, das kritischste Thema; plural is die kritischsten Punkte/Fragen/Themen. The adverbial superlative is am kritischsten, as in am kritischsten bewertet.

Etymology and related forms: kritisch derives from Kritik (criticism) and ultimately from Greek kritikos, meaning able to judge, via Latin and French into German. Related nouns include Kritik (critique) and Kritiker (critic). The word family centers on judgment, evaluation, and analysis.

Usage notes: In standard contexts kritisch can mean skeptical or evaluative, but it also carries sense of crucial or decisive, depending on the topic. In medical language, kritisch can mean a patient in a critical condition, which is a separate sense from the evaluative one and usually clear from context.

Examples:

- Der kritischste Punkt ist die Finanzierung. (The most critical point is the financing.)

- Die kritischsten Fragen wurden im Audit diskutiert.

- Am kritischsten ist die Frage der Verantwortlichkeit.

Kritischste, like other superlatives, requires appropriate determiner and agreement with the noun. Outside of fixed expressions, its meaning hinges on whether the context emphasizes judgment, urgency, or significance.