Critical
Critical adjective - Of the greatest possible importance.
Usage example: this is the critical exam that will largely determine your college career
Necessary is a synonym for critical in essential topic. In some cases you can use "Necessary" instead the word "Critical" as an adjective or a noun, when it comes to topics like vital.
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
- momentous and critical
- momentous and necessary
- important and critical
- important and necessary
- essential and critical
- essential and necessary
- imperative and critical
- imperative and necessary
- indispensable and critical
- indispensable and necessary
- requisite and critical
- requisite and necessary
- vital and critical
- vital and necessary
Both words in one sentence
- Handwaved in the lore, buildings are designed to be larger than necessary and shift their critical components around until the last possible moment.
-
Basically any scenario where the mass of fissionable material goes above its prompt critical mass (critical mass is not dangerous and in fact is necessary for commercial nuclear reactors to provide any usable energy at all) and you don't control it or do anything to stop it, it's all over.
Source: Made of Explodium -
Though this is not absolutely necessary; it's the mindset (or self-preception) that's critical.
Source: The Cape
Cite this Source
Necessary and Critical. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/critical/necessary
Critical & Necessary. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/critical/necessary>.
Necessary or Critical. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/critical/necessary.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "critical" and "necessary" have occurred on timeline