critical duty

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "critical duty" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to refer to an essential or urgent responsibility that must be fulfilled, often in a professional or serious context. Example: "As a firefighter, responding to emergencies is my critical duty."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

7 human-written examples

And of all the people who have a critical duty to obey court orders, it is the executive.

The Guardian - Opinion

But alongside that is the less fashionable, but no less critical, duty to present what is sometimes called "the basic repertoire"; in other words, the world's playlist of Great Stuff.

Independent

"While Secret Service agents will never allow concerns over potential legal liability to compromise their solemn and critical duty to protect the president, vice president and presidential candidates," the brief said, "concerns over personal liability for making a probable cause arrest should not weigh into agents' decisions in the field".

The New York Times

Any reader of fiction has a right to an occasional escape from the dullness or misery of his existence, but he has the critical duty of finding the best modes of escape in the most efficiently engineered detective or adventure stories, in humour that is more than sentimental buffoonery, in dreams of love that are not mere pornography.

Encyclopedia Britannica

Not surprisingly, the bonds between males and females are unusually strong in these species, so the male's confidence in his fatherhood is high.In both titi and owl monkeys, the father assumes the critical duty of carrying his children around until they are able to move safely and independently through the trees.

The Economist

Should I be court-martialed for dereliction of critical duty?

Los Angeles Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

53 human-written examples

In the latter part of his Times career, he shared critical duties with Walter Goodman.

The New York Times - Arts

If the bully is a supervisor, victims may be stripped of critical duties, then accused of not doing their job, says Gary Namie, founder of the Workplace Bullying Institute, an advocacy group based in Bellingham, Wash.

The New York Times - Health

Such a move would prevent top officials from claiming, as they have during the previous hearings examining the collapse of MF Global, that they delegated critical duties to others.

The New York Times

For those who follow her exploits, I'd be shirking my critical duties if I didn't report that in this show Edna, always teetering on the brink of fashion, confesses that she was "abused....Dame Edna, who has conquered Europe and Australia, is clearly feeling her oats in America, and celebrates this in song.

The New Yorker

But your analysis fails to note their critical duties done in pain made tolerable by opioids because you were blinded by the glare of reckless users for a high— a state whose dose requirement increases exponentially over time to where it causes respiratory arrest.

Harvard University

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "critical duty" to emphasize the high level of importance and necessity associated with a particular responsibility. This phrase works best in formal or professional contexts where the duty's significance needs to be highlighted.

Common error

Avoid using "critical duty" in casual conversation or informal writing. Its formality can sound out of place. Opt for simpler terms like "important task" or "key responsibility" in less formal settings.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "critical duty" primarily functions as a noun phrase where the adjective "critical" modifies the noun "duty". It describes a responsibility or task that is of utmost importance and requires immediate attention. Ludwig's examples confirm this usage in various contexts.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

58%

Science

21%

Formal & Business

8%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

4%

Academia

4%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "critical duty" denotes a task or responsibility of utmost importance and urgency. Ludwig AI confirms that this phrase is grammatically correct and usable, though relatively uncommon, and is most frequently encountered in news and media, science and business contexts. It is important to reserve this phrase for situations where the level of importance truly warrants it, and to avoid overuse in informal settings. As per the analysis, related phrases like "essential responsibility" or "vital obligation" can serve as alternatives depending on the specific nuance you wish to convey.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

essential responsibility

Replaces "critical" with "essential" and "duty" with "responsibility", emphasizing the necessity of the task.

vital obligation

Substitutes "critical" with "vital" and "duty" with "obligation", highlighting the importance and binding nature of the task.

crucial task

Replaces "critical" with "crucial" and "duty" with "task", focusing on the decisive importance of the work.

key responsibility

Substitutes "critical" with "key", emphasizing the central importance of the responsibility.

paramount obligation

Replaces "critical" with "paramount" and "duty" with "obligation", stressing the supreme importance of the duty.

indispensable task

Substitutes "critical" with "indispensable" and "duty" with "task", highlighting the irreplacability of the task.

urgent responsibility

Replaces "critical" with "urgent" and "duty" with "responsibility", emphasizing the time-sensitive nature of the duty.

significant duty

Replaces "critical" with "significant", indicating the considerable importance of the duty.

mandatory task

Replaces "critical" with "mandatory" and "duty" with "task", highlighting the required nature of the task.

important responsibility

Replaces "critical" with "important" and "duty" with "responsibility", underscoring the value of the task.

FAQs

How can I use "critical duty" in a sentence?

You can use "critical duty" to emphasize an obligation that is essential or urgent. For example: "As a doctor, it's my "critical duty" to provide the best possible care to my patients."

What can I say instead of "critical duty"?

You can use alternatives like "essential responsibility", "vital obligation", or "crucial task" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "critical duty" or "important duty"?

Both ""critical duty"" and "important duty" are correct, but ""critical duty"" conveys a higher level of urgency and necessity compared to "important duty".

What's the difference between "critical duty" and "professional obligation"?

"Critical duty" emphasizes the importance and urgency of a specific task, while "professional obligation" refers to the general responsibilities associated with a particular job or role.