crisis

noun

cri·​sis ˈkrī-səs How to pronounce crisis (audio)
plural crises ˈkrī-ˌsēz How to pronounce crisis (audio)
1
a
: the turning point for better or worse in an acute disease or fever
b
: a paroxysmal attack of pain, distress, or disordered function
c
: an emotionally significant event or radical change of status in a person's life
a midlife crisis
2
: the decisive moment (as in a literary plot)
The crisis of the play occurs in Act 3.
3
a
: an unstable or crucial time or state of affairs in which a decisive change is impending
especially : one with the distinct possibility of a highly undesirable outcome
a financial crisis
the nation's energy crisis
b
: a situation that has reached a critical phase
the environmental crisis
the unemployment crisis

Did you know?

Semantic Crisis Intervention

Some people are bothered by changes in a word’s meaning (see: literally), while others have a more relaxed attitude towards semantic drift. For those who feel vexed when a word seems to have suddenly changed its spots, it may be of some comfort to know that words in English do this all the time; crisis is a fine example. Originally, crisis denoted “the turning point for better or worse in an acute disease or fever.” Now it most commonly means “a difficult or dangerous situation that needs serious attention,” yet few people insist that it should be used exclusively in its older meaning. The normality of semantic change can be seen in another word that first appeared in febrile contexts: hectic, which now is primarily used to mean “very busy,” originally referred to a fever that was fluctuating but recurrent.

Choose the Right Synonym for crisis

juncture, exigency, emergency, contingency, pinch, strait (or straits) crisis mean a critical or crucial time or state of affairs.

juncture stresses the significant concurrence or convergence of events.

an important juncture in our country's history

exigency stresses the pressure of restrictions or urgency of demands created by a special situation.

provide for exigencies

emergency applies to a sudden unforeseen situation requiring prompt action to avoid disaster.

the presence of mind needed to deal with emergencies

contingency implies an emergency or exigency that is regarded as possible but uncertain of occurrence.

contingency plans

pinch implies urgency or pressure for action to a less intense degree than exigency or emergency.

come through in a pinch

strait, now commonly straits, applies to a troublesome situation from which escape is extremely difficult.

in dire straits

crisis applies to a juncture whose outcome will make a decisive difference.

a crisis of confidence

Examples of crisis in a Sentence

She was dealing with a family crisis at the time. Most people blame the government for the country's worsening economic crisis. last year's state budget crisis In times of national crisis, we need strong leaders we can trust. A year ago, both companies were in crisis.
Recent Examples on the Web Together, Helen and Sam set off on a mission to investigate who killed Jason and why, leading them to uncover a vast, interconnected conspiracy linking the murky London underworld to a looming geopolitical crisis. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 22 Mar. 2024 For Kellner and other board members, the initiative will provide unfiltered feedback from some of the largest airlines in the world as Boeing navigates another crisis centered on its most important product, the 737 Max jetliner. Julie Johnsson, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2024 Terry Collins By the slimmest of margins, California voters approved a two-part ballot measure to restructure the state's mental health system and curb its longstanding homeless crisis. USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2024 Together with the ongoing opioid crisis, fatal overdoses among Black men and women practically skyrocketed. Essence, 21 Mar. 2024 About that name: Neue Klasse invokes the memory of the model that arrived in 1962 and whose success saved the company from an impending existential and fiscal crisis. Jason Barlow, WIRED, 21 Mar. 2024 The group also planned to discuss providing Gazan civilians, trapped in a humanitarian crisis, with more aid. Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024 The district is also exploring other measures to avert the unexpected financial crisis, including a state loan as early as this summer, and potentially asking district voters later this year to raise school taxes. Rory Linnane, Journal Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2024 Blocks away from the Oscars red carpet, several hundred protesters called for a ceasefire in Israel’s war in Gaza, while winners used their speeches to decry the humanitarian crisis in that region as well as the one sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Jordan Moreau, Variety, 10 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crisis.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English crise, crisis, borrowed from Latin crisis "judgment, critical stage," borrowed from Greek krísis "act of separating, decision, judgment, event, outcome, turning point, sudden change," from kri-, variant stem of krī́nein "to separate, choose, decide, judge" + -sis, suffix forming nouns of action or process — more at certain entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of crisis was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near crisis

Cite this Entry

“Crisis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crisis. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

crisis

noun
cri·​sis ˈkrī-səs How to pronounce crisis (audio)
plural crises ˈkrī-ˌsēz How to pronounce crisis (audio)
1
: the turning point for better or worse in a disease
2
: a turning point (as in a person's life or in the plot of a story)
3
a
: an unstable or difficult time or state of affairs
a financial crisis
b
: a situation that has become very serious

Medical Definition

crisis

noun
cri·​sis ˈkrī-səs How to pronounce crisis (audio)
plural crises -ˌsēz How to pronounce crisis (audio)
1
: the turning point for better or worse in an acute disease or fever
especially : a sudden turn for the better (as sudden abatement in severity of symptoms or abrupt drop in temperature) compare lysis sense 1
2
: a paroxysmal attack of pain, distress, or disordered function
tabetic crisis
cardiac crisis
3
: an emotionally significant event or radical change of status in a person's life
4
: a psychological or social condition characterized by unusual instability caused by excessive stress and either endangering or felt to endanger the continuity of an individual or group
especially : such a social condition requiring the transformation of cultural patterns and values

More from Merriam-Webster on crisis

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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