crisis

noun

cri·​sis ˈkrī-səs How to pronounce crisis (audio)
plural crises ˈkrī-ˌsēz How to pronounce crisis (audio)
Synonyms of crisisnext
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.

Synonyms

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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 To date the war has resulted in the displacement of more nearly two million Palestinians, the destruction of more than 157,000 buildings in Gaza and an emerging food crisis that experts warn could result in widespread famine. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 15 Apr. 2024 With investors already rattled by sticky inflation and the prospect of higher-for-longer interest rates, the escalation of the Middle East crisis is set to inject fresh volatility when trading resumes. —Srinivasan Sivabalan, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2024 In his new book, The Anxious Generation, Haidt argues that these two key factors have combined to cause the mental health crisis now facing America's teenagers. —Michaeleen Doucleff, NPR, 14 Apr. 2024 Furthermore, the global cost-of-living crisis has reduced many consumers’ disposable income. —Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024 The fact that his measure, Proposition 1, barely survived despite many millions of dollars being spent on the campaign for it, indicates anew that Californians are growing weary of politicians’ promises to end the crisis. —Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2024 School districts across Arizona have also joined schools nationwide in suing the owners of TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat, alleging the social media giants have knowingly contributed to a mental health crisis among their students and forced them to divert resources to address it. —The Arizona Republic, 13 Apr. 2024 Overcoming conflict among themselves and paralysis within the governing framework will be key for the members of the new transition panel, given the deepening crisis facing Haiti. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024 In 1960, after five years at the Reuters news agency in London, Mr. MacNeil joined NBC News, eventually replacing John Chancellor as a wide-ranging foreign correspondent, covering wars in Africa and the Cuban missile crisis. —Elizabeth Jensen, New York Times, 12 Apr. 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

Phrases Containing crisis

Dictionary Entries Near crisis

crisic

crisis

crisis theologian

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Cite this Entry

“Crisis.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crisis. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

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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

Nglish: Translation of crisis for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of crisis for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about crisis

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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