Back to Dictionary

Crux

/krʌks/

nounC1

Definition

"Crux" means the key point or the main difficulty in a problem or situation. It is the part that you must understand or solve to deal with the whole issue. People often use it when talking about important questions or challenges.

Was this helpful?

Make this word yours

Save to Collection

In your personal learning flow

⚡ See It in Action

The central or most important part of a problem or issue

  • •The crux of the argument is whether the law is fair.
  • •Finding the crux of the problem helped us fix the machine.
  • •The crux of the story is about friendship and trust.

The main difficulty or challenge in a situation

  • •The crux of the test was the difficult math question.
  • •Understanding the crux of the project took a lot of time.

🧲 Make It Stick

  • ✓Think of "crux" like "heart" (A1 word) of a problem—the heart is the most important part of the body, just like the crux is the most important part of an idea or problem.
  • ✓Picture a puzzle: the crux is the one piece that makes the whole picture clear when you put it in place.
  • ✓It's the feeling when you finally understand the main reason behind a problem after thinking hard.
  • ✓Sounds like "crux" → imagine a cross (like a plus sign) marking the exact spot where everything comes together.
  • ✓Think of mystery stories where the crux is the clue that solves the whole case.
  • ✓NOT like "detail" (small part), crux is the central, most important part.
  • ✓NOT like "side issue" (less important), crux is the main focus.
  • ✓NOT just "problem" (general), crux is the essential part that causes or explains the problem.

🔄 Try Other Words

  • •Core: the central or most important part (Use when talking about the main part of something physical or abstract)
  • •Essence: the basic or most important quality (Use when focusing on the nature or spirit of something)
  • •Key point: the most important idea or fact (Use in conversations and explanations to highlight importance)

🔍 Unboxing

  • •Word parts: (no prefix or suffix; the word is a whole)
  • •Etymology: From Latin "crux," meaning "cross," which was used metaphorically for a difficult problem or important point
  • •Historical development: Originally meant a physical cross, later used in English to mean a difficult problem or main point since the 1600s
  • •Modern usage: Commonly used in formal writing and speech to point out the main or hardest part of something

💭 Reflect & Connect

•What kinds of problems in your life have a clear crux that, once solved, make everything easier?
•How can finding the crux of a situation help you make better decisions?

Fill in the blanks with the correct word:

1.The crux of the argument is ___ the facts are true or false.
2.To solve the problem, you must understand the crux ___ the issue.
3.The teacher said the crux of the lesson was ___ the main idea clearly.
4.Unlike small details, the crux of the story carries the ___ meaning.
5.When people disagree, they often argue about the crux ___ the matter.
6.The crux of the project was difficult, so the team spent ___ time on it.
7.If you miss the crux, you might ___ the whole point of the discussion.