criticality
State of being critical
Criticality is the state of being critical—at a decisive or dangerous point.
In nuclear physics, criticality is the threshold at which a fission reaction becomes self-sustaining: The reactor achieved criticality.
In project management and engineering, criticality describes how essential something is to success: We assessed the criticality of each component.
The word often appears in risk assessment, measuring how severe a failure would be.
Self-sustaining causal sequence
- fissionNuclear breakup releasing energy
- neutronUncharged nuclear particle
- reactivityTendency to chemically combine
- meltdownCatastrophic loss of control
control rods · uranium · plutonium · moderator · coolant · core · breeder reactor · scram
Fundamentally necessary
- vitalEssential or sustaining existence
- crucialOf supreme importance
- pivotalVitally important, deciding
- paramountOf supreme significance
indispensable · imperative · fundamental · central · key · core · integral · significant
Threshold triggering major change
- brinkCritical boundary point
- cuspPoint of transition
- vergeBorder or cusp
- inflection pointWhere curvature changes sign
watershed · point of no return · precipice · flashpoint · breaking point · edge · boundary · limit
Determining worth or quality
- appraisalEstimation of worth
- scrutinyClose, careful examination
- examinationMethodical assessment or review
- reviewCritical written assessment
judgment · assessment · inspection · diagnosis · audit · investigation · interpretation · validation
Intensely severe or perceptive
- graveSerious and worrying
- direExtremely serious or urgent
- seriousWeighty and requiring attention
- life-threateningRisking death
severe · dangerous · precarious · perilous · touch-and-go · unstable · intensive care · alarming
chain reaction
Self-sustaining causal sequence
- fissionNuclear breakup releasing energy
- neutronUncharged nuclear particle
- reactivityTendency to chemically combine
meltdown · control rods · uranium · plutonium · moderator · coolant · core · breeder reactor · scram · isotope
essential
Fundamentally necessary
- vitalEssential or sustaining existence
- crucialOf supreme importance
- pivotalVitally important, deciding
paramount · indispensable · imperative · fundamental · central · key · core · integral · significant · high-stakes
tipping point
Threshold triggering major change
inflection point · watershed · point of no return · precipice · flashpoint · breaking point · edge · boundary · limit · demarcation
evaluation
Determining worth or quality
- appraisalEstimation of worth
- scrutinyClose, careful examination
- examinationMethodical assessment or review
review · judgment · assessment · inspection · diagnosis · audit · investigation · interpretation · validation · testing
acute
Intensely severe or perceptive
life-threatening · severe · dangerous · precarious · perilous · touch-and-go · unstable · intensive care · alarming · emergency
- importanceimportance, significance, consequence, weight, gravity
- Nuclearnuclear reactor, atomic bomb, nuclear energy, atomic bombs, uranium
- nuclear energynuclear power, nuclear reactors, nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, uranium
- Nuclear Plantsreactor, reactor core, control rods, cooling tower, fuel rods
- Nuclear Powernuclear reactors, nuclear plants, nuclear fuel, nuclear waste, uranium
- nuclear sciencenuclear fission, nuclear physics, nuclear fusion, radiation, nuclear fuel
criticalitytriviality
Unimportant small matter
insignificance · unimportance · inconsequentiality · negligibility · marginality
criticalityshutdown
Cessation of operations
dormancy · inactivity · stability · inertness · quiescence
crisis, critical, criticism, critic, critique, criterion, critically, uncritical, hypercritical