critical mass
19
5.6
- noun
- /ˈkrɪtɪkəl mæs/
:
masa crítica
- The project will succeed once we reach a critical mass of supporters.
- reach critical mass
- create a critical mass
- form a critical mass
But that will never attract any kind of critical mass of of public attention.
- But that will never attract any kind of critical mass of of public attention.
- It'll probably be decades before we have a critical mass of autonomous vehicles on the road.
- But companies do not dramatically change over a period of time once they kind of hit that critical mass.
- It just has to cross a certain threshold or attain a certain kind of critical mass, and then you can no longer do that practice.
- So I think that when we reach a critical mass of acceptance, we'll be able to have action at that point.
- No, we as a group have to be a critical mass of prosperity across the board.
- One day the debt reaches a critical mass where your income no longer can and sustain your debt.
- It's hard, you know, you might never get the critical mass, but amazingly he managed to make it happen.
Examples
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From the eighteenth century onward, cultural survival has depended on maintaining the critical mass to resist assimilation into the English mainstream.
Academic text (2003) -
When there is concern that a critical mass of skill is not in place, several options are available:
Academic text (1995) -
Let me know when we hit critical mass.
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I think it's reaching critical mass!
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So I think that when we reach a critical mass of acceptance, we'll be able to have action at that point.
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We wait until it hits critical mass, and then push this button.
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One day the debt reaches a critical mass where your income no longer can and sustain your debt.
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The trick will be to engage a critical mass of local commanders simultaneously.
Academic text (2009) -
It'll probably be decades before we have a critical mass of autonomous vehicles on the road.
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First, the foundations for sustainable political liberalization are just now beginning to reach a critical mass in China.
Academic text (2009)
Synonyms
118
4.2
The point when something begins or changes into a new state
43
5.3
A moment when a small event causes a big, lasting change
4
9.1
The point when a system becomes unstable and keeps going on its own, for example a nuclear reactor
Antonyms
How Much
Surface Forms
Morphology
Combining 'critical' (a point where properties change or a tipping point) with 'mass' (an amount) transparently yields the idea of a minimum or threshold quantity needed for a change to occur, a sense that is cross-linguistically common and likely inferable by a B1 learner who knows both words. However, the specific technical meaning referring to fissile material and sustaining a nuclear chain reaction is specialized domain knowledge, so the expression is only partially predictable from the constituents.
Etymology
Critical mass comes from science: it originally meant the smallest amount of material — the mass — that becomes critical so a chain reaction keeps going. That's why we now use critical mass to mean the 'minimum size' or number needed for something to start or keep going.