French word

crucial

Pronunciation

IPA/kʁysjal/

Meaning

  • adjectiveimportant

Example

C'est crucial pour moi.

It is important to me.

Illustration for crucial (important)

More examples

Un soutien familial est crucial dans cette situation.

Family support is crucial in this situation.

Core concept

A single factor at the crossroads of an event, able to determine which outcome follows.

Common phrases

  • crucial pour

    crucial for

  • moment crucial

    crucial moment

  • décision cruciale

    crucial decision

Similar words

essentiel: Fundamentally needed for something to exist or function.
indispensable: Absolutely needed and impossible to replace.
nécessaire: Required to carry out an action or make a situation possible.
capital: Of major importance because it can have far-reaching consequences.

Definition in French

Qui joue un rôle indispensable pour déterminer l'issue d'un événement.

Word origin

French crucial was borrowed from English crucial, which ultimately comes from Latin crucialis, based on crux, 'cross', and the idea of a decisive point.

Usage tips

  • Crucial agrees in gender and number: crucial, cruciale, cruciaux, and cruciales; the feminine and masculine singular forms sound alike.

Other meanings

  • decisiveadjective
  • criticaladjective
  • essentialadjective

Opposites

  • négligeablenegligibleadjective
  • secondairesecondaryadjective

Related words

  • crucialementcruciallyadverb
  • crucialitécrucialitynoun

Word lists with this word