Word of the Day: crucial

The word crucial has appeared in 2,489 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on March 16 in “Landline Users Remain Proudly ‘Old-Fashioned’ in the Digital Age” by Michael Levenson:

“If we have health issues, especially, it’s the most important thing to be able to use our rotary phone,” said Francesca Ciancutti, who lives in Mendocino County, Calif. “It’s absolutely crucial. And all our neighbors feel the same way.”

It’s a concern that has led many people around the country to hold on to their landlines.
Katie Lanza, 37, of Fort Worth, said she had once been waiting for an insurance replacement for her cellphone, which had been chewed by her dog, when she got sick in the middle of the night. With no way to call for help, she found herself knocking on a neighbor’s door at 2 a.m. That was about 14 years ago, she said, and she’s had a landline ever since.

Daily Word Challenge

Can you correctly use the word crucial in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using today’s Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the word’s definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

If you want a better idea of how crucial can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com. You can also visit this guide to learn how to use IPA symbols to show how different words are pronounced.

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The Word of the Day is provided by Vocabulary.com. Learn more and see usage examples across a range of subjects in the Vocabulary.com Dictionary. See every Word of the Day in this column.