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crossroads

The noun crossroads is great for describing a point in your life when you have to make an important decision, like when you need to choose whether to attend college or backpack across Asia.

Though a literal definition of crossroads might be something like "the point where two roads meet," it is more often used in a figurative way, to mean a situation that requires some important choice must be made. The word crossroads has been used to title dozens of songs and albums over the years, and it's known in folk mythology as an otherworldly place — between two worlds — where spirits tend to congregate.

Definitions of crossroads
  1. noun
    a crisis situation or point in time when a critical decision must be made
    synonyms: critical point, juncture
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    types:
    criticality
    a critical state; especially the point at which a nuclear reaction is self-sustaining
    flash point, flashpoint
    point at which something is ready to blow up
    type of:
    crisis
    an unstable situation of extreme danger or difficulty
  2. noun
    a point where a choice must be made
    “Freud's work stands at the crossroads between psychology and neurology”
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    type of:
    convergence, intersection, overlap
    a representation of common ground between theories or phenomena
  3. noun
    a community of people smaller than a village
    synonyms: hamlet
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    type of:
    community
    a group of people living in a particular local area
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘crossroads'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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