crisis

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A moment of serious danger or trouble when something must be done quickly to prevent things from getting much worse.

   Grammar: Has an irregular plural: one crisis, two crises.

   Patterns

   • a crisis in something
   • a crisis of something
   • a crisis over something

   The town faced a water crisis when the main pipe burst during the heatwave.

   Leaders met overnight to deal with the diplomatic crisis.

   When the power failed, the hospital staff stayed calm in the crisis.

2. 2nouncountablemedical

   A decisive turning point in an illness or a situation, after which things either improve or get worse.

   Grammar: Often singular with the: the crisis came on the third night.

   Patterns

   • reach a crisis
   • the crisis passes

   The doctor said the fever would reach a crisis within two days.

   After the crisis passed, the patient began to recover.

   The negotiations hit a crisis point and then slowly improved.

3. 3nouncountable

   A period of deep personal doubt or emotional upheaval, often at a stage of life.

   Grammar: Usually part of a phrase such as identity crisis or crisis of confidence.

   Patterns

   • a crisis of confidence
   • a crisis of faith

   He had a crisis of confidence just before the big exam.

   Many people go through an identity crisis in their twenties.

   She spoke openly about the crisis of faith that changed her career.

Word forms

Common combinations

deal with a crisis

The mayor was praised for the way she dealt with the crisis.

financial crisis

The financial crisis left thousands of small shops closed.

in crisis

The health service is in crisis because of staff shortages.

avert a crisis

A last-minute deal averted a crisis at the port.

crisis management

The company hired an expert in crisis management after the recall.

midlife crisis

My uncle bought a motorbike during his midlife crisis.

Synonyms and how they differ

emergency

An emergency is a sudden event needing instant action, while a crisis can build slowly and last for months.

disaster

A disaster is a terrible event that has already caused harm, whereas a crisis may still be avoided or resolved.

predicament

A predicament is a difficult spot for one person or group, and it feels smaller and less public than a crisis.

catastrophe

A catastrophe is a huge and often final collapse, so it is stronger than a crisis, which still leaves room for a response.

Opposites

Word family

crises noun

the plural form

critical adjective

extremely important or dangerous, as at the point of a crisis

critically adverb

in a way that is dangerous or extremely important

criticality noun

the quality of being at a crucial or dangerous point

Commonly confused: crisis or crisis / crises?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “crisis”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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