Definition of "subcritical" [subcritical]

• Having a mass of fissionable material that is less than that needed for a chain reaction. (adjective)
• Of less than critical importance. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "We may end up using ISRU provided Thorium in subcritical reactors that my friend Roger Lenard talks about so eloquently."
• "We should focus on having all nations ratify the CTBT, including the U.S., and put a stop to all activities, such as subcritical and stockpile experiments, that go against the spirit of the treaty and furthermore provoke non-nuclear nations into becoming nuclear nations."
• "The process for a new NTS EIS will include scoping meetings, public written/oral comment frameworks and a full discussion of how activities such as subcritical and nuclear simulation testing – and more - relates to the mission of the NTS."