adj. 1.marked by a tendency to find and call attention to errors and flaws 2.at or of a point at which a property or phenomenon suffers an abrupt change especially having enough mass to sustain a chain reaction 3.characterized by careful evaluation and judgment 4.urgently needed 5.forming or having the nature of a turning point or crisis 6.being in or verging on a state of crisis or emergency 7.of or involving or characteristic of critics or criticism