crucial
Extremely important; something everything else depends on.
crucial in a sentence
- Remembering the tent poles turned out to be crucial to the whole camping trip.
- In netball, quick passing is crucial; the whole game depends on it.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to crucial?
- Aimportant
- Bminor
- Ctrivial
Show the answer
A: important. The other three mean the opposite of crucial.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to crucial?
- Akey
- Bminor
- Cimportant
- Dvital
Show the answer
B: minor. The other three mean nearly the same as crucial.
Words that mean something similar
important, key, vital
Words that mean the opposite
minor, trivial
More words about thinking & learning
- cryptic: Having a hidden meaning that is hard to work out.
- decipher: To work out what something difficult or secret means.
- demonstrate: To show clearly how something works, or that it is true.
- determine: To decide something firmly, or to work it out for certain.
- dilemma: A tricky choice between two things, where neither seems right.
- distinguish: To see or show how two things are different.
- dubious: Not sure whether something is true or can be trusted.
- endeavour: To try very hard to do something.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test