crisis

crisis — noun

1. a situation in which serious problems or strong disagreements cause widespread t

1.nounB2
Definition

a situation in which serious problems or strong disagreements cause widespread trouble and may lead to major change

Example

The political crisis in Élise's country made it hard for people to get basic supplies.

collocation: political / economic / humanitarian crisis

Gabriel's company survived the financial crisis by cutting costs early.

Common collocations
  • political crisis
  • economic crisis
  • financial crisis
  • humanitarian crisis
  • constitutional crisis
  • in crisis
  • face a crisis
  • resolve a crisis
Synonyms
  • emergency

    more urgent and immediate; an emergency requires quick action, while a crisis may develop slowly

  • disaster

    focuses on the destructive outcome rather than the ongoing difficult situation

  • turmoil

    emphasises confusion and disorder, but can be less severe than a crisis

Antonyms
  • stability

    a calm, secure state without major problems

Grammar Patterns

a/an + [adjective] + crisis

be in crisis

Usage Note

Often used with adjectives that name the type of problem (economic, political, humanitarian). The uncountable form (in crisis) describes an ongoing state rather than a single event.

Common Mistakes

The country is in a big crisis.
The country is in a deep crisis.
'big' sounds weak with crisis; use 'deep', 'serious', 'major', or 'severe'.

2. the moment when a problem or difficult situation reaches its most dangerous stag

2.nounB2
Definition

the moment when a problem or difficult situation reaches its most dangerous stage and action is needed

Example

The situation reached a crisis when the hospital ran out of medicine.

reach a crisis — the moment when a situation turns critical

When the main water pipe burst, the apartment block knew a crisis had arrived.

Common collocations
  • reach a crisis
  • at the crisis of
  • crisis point
  • come to a crisis
Synonyms
  • turning point

    neutral — may be positive or negative; crisis implies danger

  • climax

    often used in stories; crisis is more serious and real-world

  • breaking point

    the limit before collapse; more emotional or personal

Grammar Patterns

reach a crisis

at the crisis of [noun]

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 focuses on a single decisive moment or turning point, whereas sense 1 describes an extended period of trouble. This sense is often used with 'reach' or 'at'.

3. going through a period of intense trouble or pain that deeply affects your perso

3.nounB2
Definition

going through a period of intense trouble or pain that deeply affects your personal life

Example

Folake went through a personal crisis after her father passed away.

collocation: personal / emotional / mid-life crisis

Ziad is in crisis after his wife left and does not know where to live.

Common collocations
  • personal crisis
  • mid-life crisis
  • identity crisis
  • emotional crisis
  • go through a crisis
  • in crisis
Synonyms
  • ordeal

    focuses on the painful experience; more dramatic

  • hardship

    suggests long-term difficulty rather than a specific turning point

  • struggle

    emphasises effort to cope; less intense than crisis

Grammar Patterns

go through a crisis

be in crisis

a [adjective] crisis

Usage Note

Unlike sense 1, this sense is about an individual's experience rather than a broad societal problem. Common in phrases like 'mid-life crisis' and 'identity crisis'.

Common Mistakes

I have a crisis with my homework.
I am going through a personal crisis.
crisis is too strong for everyday problems; use 'difficulty' or 'problem' for minor issues.

4. the stage of a very serious illness when a doctor can tell whether the person wi

4.nounC1
Definition

the stage of a very serious illness when a doctor can tell whether the person will recover or grow worse

Example

The doctor said Élise had reached the crisis of her illness.

medical usage: reach the crisis of an illness

After days of high fever, the crisis passed and the patient began to recover.

Common collocations
  • reach the crisis
  • the crisis passes
  • crisis of an illness
  • medical crisis
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

the crisis of [illness]

reach the crisis

the crisis passes

Usage Note

This is the original historical meaning of crisis and appears mostly in medical or historical contexts. In modern everyday language, the broader senses 1-3 are far more common.

5. a situation in which people suddenly stop trusting a government, company, or fin

5.nounB2
Definition

a situation in which people suddenly stop trusting a government, company, or financial system

Example

The bank lost many customers after the crisis of confidence.

collocation: crisis of confidence

A crisis of trust had grown between voters and their elected leaders.

Common collocations
  • crisis of confidence
  • crisis of trust
  • crisis of faith
  • face a crisis of confidence
Synonyms
  • loss of faith

    similar but focuses more on belief than reliance

  • credibility gap

    specifically about trust in what people say; narrower than crisis of confidence

Grammar Patterns

a crisis of [noun]

face a crisis of confidence

Usage Note

Almost always appears in the pattern 'a crisis of + abstract noun' (confidence, trust, faith). Different from sense 1 in that the trouble comes from people's attitudes rather than from objective problems.

Common Mistakes

The company has a crisis of money.
The company faces a crisis of confidence.
'a crisis of' is followed by an abstract noun like 'confidence' or 'trust', not concrete nouns like 'money'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Crisis, emergency, disaster, and catastrophe all describe serious situations, but they differ in time frame and scope. A crisis is an ongoing period of difficulty or danger that may develop slowly and require complex solutions — a country can be in an economic crisis for years. An emergency is sudden and urgent, demanding immediate action, such as a medical emergency or a fire. A disaster is an event that causes great destruction and suffering, often suddenly — an earthquake is a natural disaster. Catastrophe is the strongest of the four, suggesting irreversible, large-scale destruction on the level of a nuclear accident or climate collapse. In short: emergencies call for quick action, crises call for careful management, and disasters and catastrophes describe events that have already caused severe harm.

crisis ↗emergency ↗disaster ↗catastrophe ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be in crisis
  • face a crisis
  • deal with a crisis
  • resolve a crisis
  • a crisis of confidence

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

Crisis comes from the Greek word 'krisis' (κρίσις), meaning 'decision' or 'judgment'. It passed into Latin and then into English in the 1400s, where it first described the decisive moment in a disease — the point at which a doctor had to judge whether a patient would recover or die. Over time, the word expanded from medicine to any situation that forces a difficult decision or marks a turning point.