acute

[ uh-kyoot ]

adjective

1. sharp or severe in effect; intense:

   acute sorrow;

   an acute pain.

   Antonyms: dull

2. extremely great or serious; crucial; critical:

   an acute shortage of oil.

3. (of disease) brief and severe ( chronic ).

   Synonyms: violent, extreme, sudden

4. sharp or penetrating in intellect, insight, or perception:

   an acute observer.

   Synonyms: sage, wise, knowing, brilliant, bright, smart, clever, sharp-witted, perspicacious, intelligent, perceptive, discerning, astute, keen, sapient, sagacious, ingenious

   Antonyms: dull

5. extremely sensitive even to slight details or impressions:

   acute eyesight.

   Synonyms: keen

6. sharp at the end; ending in a point.
7. Geometry.
   1. (of an angle) less than 90°.
   2. (of a triangle) containing only acute angles.
8. Phonetics, Orthography. consisting of, indicated by, or bearing the diacritic ´, placed over vowel symbols in some languages to show that the vowels or the syllables they are in are pronounced in a certain way, as in French that the quality of an e so marked is close; in Hungarian that the vowel is long; in Spanish that the marked syllable bears the word accent; in Ibo that it is pronounced with high tones; or in classical Greek, where the mark originated, that the syllable bears the word accent and is pronounced, according to the ancient grammarians, with raised pitch ( grave ): an acute e.

   the acute accent;

   an acute e.

noun

1. Phonetics, Orthography. the acute accent.

acute

/ əˈkjuːt /

adjective

1. penetrating in perception or insight
2. sensitive to details; keen
3. of extreme importance; crucial
4. sharp or severe; intense

   acute pain

   an acute drought

5. having a sharp end or point
6. maths
   1. (of an angle) less than 90°
   2. (of a triangle) having all its interior angles less than 90°
7. of a disease
   1. arising suddenly and manifesting intense severity
   2. of relatively short duration Compare chronic
8. phonetics
   1. (of a vowel or syllable in some languages with a pitch accent, such as ancient Greek) spoken or sung on a higher musical pitch relative to neighbouring syllables or vowels
   2. of or relating to an accent (´) placed over vowels, denoting that the vowel is pronounced with higher musical pitch (as in ancient Greek), with a certain special quality (as in French), etc Compare (for senses 8a, 8b)gravecircumflex
9. (of a hospital, hospital bed, or ward) intended to accommodate short-term patients with acute illnesses

noun

1. an acute accent

acute

/ ə-kyo̅o̅t′ /

1. Reacting readily to stimuli or impressions, as hearing or eyesight; sensitive.
2. Relating to an illness that has a rapid onset and follows a short but severe course.
3. Compare chronic
4. Having an acute angle.

Derived Forms

• aˈcuteness, noun
• aˈcutely, adverb

Other Words From

• a·cute·ly adverb
• a·cute·ness noun
• hy·per·a·cute adjective
• non·a·cute adjective
• o·ver·a·cute adjective
• su·per·a·cute adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of acute¹

First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin acūtus “sharpened,” past participle of acuere ( acū-, verb stem, akin to acus “needle,” ācer “sharp” + -tus past participle suffix)

Word History and Origins

Origin of acute¹

C14: from Latin acūtus, past participle of acuere to sharpen, from acus needle

Synonym Study

Acute, penetrating, shrewd imply a keenness of understanding, perception, or insight. Acute suggests particularly a clearness of perception and a realization of related meanings: an acute intellect. Penetrating adds the idea of depth of perception and a realization of implications: a wise and penetrating judgment. Shrewd adds the idea of knowing how to apply practically (or to one's own advantage) what one perceives and understands: wary and shrewd.

Example Sentences

The challenge is acute in mountain communities, where geography is a hassle.

From Salon

The candidates don’t hear from California voters about the acute water troubles in our state.

From Los Angeles Times

One is to portray rare adverse health effects — some so rare that their very existence is questionable — as major and acute threats.

From Los Angeles Times

While desalination facilities are abundant in countries like Israel, Australia, and Saudi Arabia where water scarcity is acute, the energy required to desalinate water at scale presents a significant environmental hurdle.

From Science Daily

But to reduce or suspend funding for research into infectious diseases that can have an acute impact on public health, as though all this research is part of a zero-sum game, would be catastrophic.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• excruciating
• fierce
• keen
• overwhelming
• poignant
• severe
• sharp
• sudden