acute

acute: [[t]əkju͟ːt[/t]]
1) ADJ-GRADED You can use acute to indicate that an undesirable situation or feeling is very severe or intense.

The war has aggravated an acute economic crisis...

The report has caused acute embarrassment to the government...

The labour shortage is becoming acute.

Syn:

severe

2) ADJ: ADJ n An acute illness is one that becomes severe very quickly but does not last very long. Compare chronic. [MEDICAL]

...a patient with acute rheumatoid arthritis.

...an acute case of dysentery.

3) ADJ-GRADED If a person's or animal's sight, hearing, or sense of smell is acute, it is sensitive and powerful.

I like how in the dark my sense of smell and hearing become so acute.

Syn:

keen

4) ADJ-GRADED If you say that someone is acute or has an acute mind, you mean that they are quick to notice things and are able to understand them clearly.

Into her nineties, her thinking remained acute and her character forceful...

His relaxed exterior hides an extremely acute mind.

Syn:

keen, perceptive

Derived words:

acuteness N-UNCOUNT oft the N of n
Everything he writes demonstrates the acuteness of his intelligence.

5) ADJ-GRADED An acute angle is less than 90°. Compare obtuse angle.

6) ADJ: ADJ n, n ADJ An acute accent is a symbol that is placed over vowels in some languages in order to indicate how that vowel is pronounced or over one letter in a word to indicate where it is stressed. You refer to a letter with this accent as, for example, e acute. For example, there is an acute accent over the letter `e' in the French word `café'.

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Synonyms:

Sharp, pointed, acuminate, cuspidate / Keen, shrewd, discerning, knowing, quick, sharp, smart, bright, sage, sagacious, intelligent, astute, ingenious, subtle, penetrating, piercing, clear-sighted, sharp-witted, long-headed / Severe, violent, intense, poignant, distressing, fierce, piercing, exquisite, pungent / High, shrill, high-toned / Sudden, violent, temporary, limited, not chronic

Look at other dictionaries:

Acute — A*cute , a. [L. acutus, p. p. of acuere to sharpen, fr. a root ak to be sharp. Cf. {Ague}, {Cute}, {Edge}.] 1. Sharp at the end; ending in a sharp point; pointed; opposed to {blunt} or {obtuse}; as, an acute angle; an acute leaf. [1913 Webster] 2 … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Acute — may refer to: * Acute angle * Acute accent * Acute (medicine) * Acute (phonetic) * Acute (programming language) * The Acute a band … Wikipedia
acute — [ə kyo͞ot′] adj. [L acutus, pp. of acuere, sharpen: see ACUMEN] 1. having a sharp point 2. keen or quick of mind; shrewd 3. sensitive to impressions [acute hearing] 4. severe and sharp, as pain, jealousy, etc. 5. severe but of s … English World dictionary
acute — 1 *sharp, keen Analogous words: *incisive, trenchant, cutting: penetrating, piercing (see ENTER) Antonyms: obtuse Contrasted words: *dull, blunt: *stupid, slow, dull, crass, dense … New Dictionary of Synonyms
acute — UK US /əˈkjuːt/ adjective ► if a bad situation is acute, it causes severe problems or damage: »The problem is particularly acute for small businesses. »an acute conflict/crisis/need … Financial and business terms
acute — acute; acute·ness; per·acute; sub·acute; … English syllables
acute — [adj1] deeply perceptive astute, canny, clever, discerning, discriminating, incisive, ingenious, insightful, intense, intuitive, judicious, keen, observant, penetrating, perspicacious, piercing, quick witted, sensitive, sharp, smart, subtle;… … New thesaurus
Acute — A*cute , v. t. To give an acute sound to; as, he acutes his rising inflection too much. [R.] Walker. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
acute — I adjective acer, acuminate, acutus, alert, apt, astute, aware, clear sighted, critical, crucial, cutting, discerning, fine, foreseeing, intense, intuitive, keen, keenly sensitive, knowledgeable, penetrating, perceptive, perspicacious, perspicax … Law dictionary
acute — (adj.) late 14c., originally of fevers and diseases, coming and going quickly (opposed to a chronic), from L. acutus sharp, pointed, figuratively shrill, penetrating; intelligent, cunning, pp. of acuere sharpen (see ACUITY (Cf. acuity)). Meaning… … Etymology dictionary
acute — ► ADJECTIVE 1) (of something bad) critical; serious. 2) (of an illness) coming sharply to a crisis. Often contrasted with CHRONIC(Cf. ↑chronicity). 3) perceptive; shrewd. 4) (of a physical sense or faculty) highly developed. 5) (of an angle) less … English terms dictionary

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acute

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