noncritically
|non-crit-i-cal-ly|
🇺🇸
/nɑnˈkrɪtɪkəl/
🇬🇧
/nɒnˈkrɪtɪkəl/
(noncritical)
not in a critical or serious way
Etymology
'noncritically' originates from English, specifically formed from the prefix 'non-' and the adjective 'critical', where 'non-' meant 'not' (from Latin 'non') and 'critical' derived from Greek 'kritikos' meaning 'able to judge'.
'critical' changed from Greek 'kritikos' to Latin 'criticus', then via Old French and Middle English into the modern English 'critical'. The negative prefix 'non-' was attached to form 'noncritical', and the adverbial suffix '-ly' produced 'noncritically'.
Initially, elements related to 'critical' concerned judgment or the act of deciding; 'noncritically' originally meant 'in a not-judging manner', but over time it has also been widely used in medical and general contexts to mean 'not in a critical (severe) condition'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adverb 1
in a way that is not critical or not severe; used especially to indicate that an injury or condition is not life-threatening or not in a critical state.
The patient was noncritically injured in the crash and was treated and released the same day.
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Adverb 2
in an uncritical manner; without applying critical judgment, skepticism, or close analysis.
She accepted the report noncritically and did not question its assumptions.
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Last updated: 2025/10/23 21:50