noun
crisis
KRY-sis/ˈkraɪsɪs/
A dangerous or decisive situation requiring urgent attention or action.
The broken bridge creates a crisis as a man hangs above rushing water.
Etymology
Greek krisis meant a judgment and, medically, the turning point toward recovery or death. That decisive moment became a broader situation in which important change must come, for better or worse.
In context
respond to and recover from a major disruption there are some well-established factors when it comes to activating crisis management arrangements and the first of these is timely sharing of information and notification of the disruption
More examples
- The company sells its headquarters to survive a financial crisis.
- A family crisis forces her to cancel the trip.
- The hotline helps people in crisis find immediate support.
- Good planning helps hospitals respond to sudden crises.
Forms
crisis · crises
Similar words
- emergency
- Emphasizes immediate danger and the need for rapid action.
- predicament
- Emphasizes a difficult situation, not necessarily danger or urgency.