crise

crise — noun

1. a very dangerous, difficult, or stressful moment in a situation, when something

1.nounC2
Definition

a very dangerous, difficult, or stressful moment in a situation, when something bad may happen — this word is less common than crisis and is used mainly in formal or literary writing

Example

The ambassador described the trade dispute as a crise that threatened decades of peaceful relations.

crise + that-clause for describing a situation

After her husband's sudden death, Mrs. Okonkwo endured a deep personal crise that lasted months.

Common collocations
  • deep personal crise
  • moral crise
  • political crise
  • crise of confidence
  • crise of conscience
Synonyms
  • crisis

    the common, everyday word; crise is a rare, formal alternative

  • emergency

    focuses on urgent need for action, less psychological than crise

  • turning point

    emphasises the moment of change, not necessarily danger

  • climax

    used in narrative/literary contexts for the peak of tension

Antonyms
  • calm

    a period without danger or stress

  • stability

    a state where nothing bad is about to happen

Grammar Patterns

crise of [something]

a [adjective] crise

Usage Note

This word is much rarer than crisis. Writers choose crise when they want a more literary or dramatic tone, or when referring to a sudden, intensely personal moment of stress rather than a broad societal emergency. Frequently used in the fixed phrase crise de nerfs.

Common Mistakes

The country is in an economic crise.
The country is in an economic crisis.
Use 'crisis' for general societal or economic emergencies; 'crise' sounds unnatural in everyday news contexts.
Idioms

crise de nerfs

idiom

a sudden episode of extreme emotional distress, worry, or panic, during which a person feels unable to cope — borrowed from French, where it literally means 'crisis of nerves'

After weeks of working without sleep, Gabriel suffered a complete crise de nerfs and was hospitalised for three days.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Crise is a rare, formal synonym for crisis, used primarily in literary or psychological writing. Crisis is the common word for any dangerous or difficult situation (financial crisis, political crisis). Emergency suggests a sudden, urgent situation requiring immediate action (medical emergency, fire emergency) and is less psychological. Turning point focuses on a moment of decisive change, without necessarily implying danger (a turning point in her career). Climax is specific to narratives and refers to the peak of tension in a story. Unlike these alternatives, crise carries a distinctly literary register and often describes an intensely personal moment of stress. For example: 'The country faced an economic crisis' (natural), but 'He experienced a personal crise of faith' (literary, dramatic).

crisis ↗emergency ↗turning pointclimax ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

Borrowed directly from French crise, which comes from Latin crisis, from Greek krisis meaning 'decision, judgment, turning point' (from krinein 'to decide, separate, judge'). The word entered English in the 15th century through medical Latin, where it referred to the turning point of a disease. While crisis became the standard English form, crise was re-borrowed from French in the 19th century for use in literary and psychological contexts.