crisis

/ˈkraɪsɪs/

/ˈkraɪsɪs/

Other forms: crises

A crisis is a difficult or dangerous time in which a solution is needed — and quickly. For example, the crisis caused by a natural disaster might inspire you and your friends to make a donation.

The noun crisis comes from the Latinized form of the Greek word krisis, meaning "turning point in a disease." At such a moment, the person with the disease could get better or worse: it's a critical moment. Think of a celebrity whose recent antics generate headlines like "Rock Star in Crisis" — that person needs help that may or may not be sought. At the moment of crisis, things are unstable and maybe even dangerous.

Definitions of crisis

1. noun

   a crucial stage or turning point in the course of something
   “after the crisis the patient either dies or gets better”

   types:

   emergency, exigency, pinch

   a sudden unforeseen crisis (usually involving danger) that requires immediate action

   type of:

   juncture, occasion

   an event that occurs at a critical time
2. noun

   an unstable situation of extreme danger or difficulty
   “they went bankrupt during the economic crisis”

   types:

   Dunkirk

   a crisis in which a desperate effort is the only alternative to defeat

   exigence, exigency

   a pressing or urgent situation

   critical point, crossroads, juncture

   a crisis situation or point in time when a critical decision must be made

   depression, economic crisis, slump

   a long-term economic state characterized by unemployment and low prices and low levels of trade and investment

   criticality

   a critical state; especially the point at which a nuclear reaction is self-sustaining

   type of:

   situation

   a complex or critical or unusual difficulty