involving an extremely important decision or result; decisive; critical

a crucial experiment.

severe; trying.

of the form of a cross; cross-shaped.

adjective

inessential , trivial , uncritical , unimportant

adjective

acute , central , clamorous , climacteric , climatic , compelling , deciding , decisive , desperate , dire , essential , hanging by thread , high-priority , imperative , insistent , momentous , necessary , on thin ice , pivotal , pressing , searching , showdown * , touch and go , touchy , urgent , vitalnotes:the words crucial , and vital cannot be qualified (cannot be more or less...) , conclusive , determinative , climactic , critical , cross-shaped , cruciform , difficult , final , grave , important , ordea , serious , severe , telling , trying , vital