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Showing results for critical period.
Definitions

critical period

NOUN
turning point
Synonyms
STRONGEST
climax critical point crux culmination juncture twist
WEAK
axis change climacteric contingency crisis critical mass critical moment crossing crossroads crucial moment crucial occurrence crucial period crunch cusp decisive moment defining moment development emergency exigency high noon hinge kairotic moment moment of truth nexus pass peak peripeteia pinch pivot pivotal moment point of no return race against time rising action shift strait transition turn of the tide when push comes to shove zero hour

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The trajectory of the market will depend on where costs are during a critical period beginning in late January.

From Barron's • Jan. 6, 2026

Lingering distortions might make it harder for investors and policymakers to track inflation during a critical period when many are hyperfocused on how big changes to trade, immigration and fiscal policy are affecting the economy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

Elias is the first to date the rock layers and identify them as from the critical period that is missing from all other rock formations in all other parts of the world.

From BBC • Aug. 15, 2024

The critical period for the fall-run salmon in the Sacramento is while the eggs are incubating in their gravel beds.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2024

He was the leader of reactionary forces—constructive forces, as it happened—in the critical period after the War of American Independence, and in the period of Federalist supremacy.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 8 "Haller, Albrecht" to "Harmonium" by Various