crisis: Meaning and Definition of

cri•sis

Pronunciation: (krī'sis), [key]
— n., pl. adj. -ses
—n.
  1. a stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events, esp. for better or for worse, is determined; turning point.
  2. a condition of instability or danger, as in social, economic, political, or international affairs, leading to a decisive change.
  3. a dramatic emotional or circumstantial upheaval in a person's life.
    1. the point in the course of a serious disease at which a decisive change occurs, leading either to recovery or to death.
    2. the change itself.
  4. the point in a play or story at which hostile elements are most tensely opposed to each other.
—adj.
  1. of, referring to, or for use in dealing with a crisis.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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