acute

American  

[uh-kyoot] / əˈkyut /

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 (opposed to chronic).

   Synonyms:

   violent, extreme, sudden

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

   an acute observer.

   Synonyms:

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

   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 (opposed to grave): an acute e.

   the acute accent;

   an acute e.

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noun

1. Phonetics, Orthography. the acute accent.

acute British  

/ 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. 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. Compare (for senses 8a, 8b): grave.   circumflex.  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

9. (of a hospital, hospital bed, or ward) intended to accommodate short-term patients with acute illnesses

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noun

1. an acute accent

acute Scientific  

/ 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.

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Synonym Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• acuteness
  noun
• hyperacute
  adjective
• acutely
  adverb
• nonacute
  adjective
• superacute
  adjective
• overacute
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of acute

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)

Explanation

Use the adjective acute for when you want to describe something as sharp or extremely serious. The word acute is one word; it's not two words, nor does it have anything to do with something small, cuddly, and pretty! Acute really means "sharp" or "severe" or "intense" and modifies certain kinds of angles in geometry or describes a certain kind of illness of short duration. The English word apparently entered the language during the sixteenth century from the Latin root acutus, which means "sharp" or "pointed."

Example Sentences

Acute shortages of key fuels and soaring prices could emerge within weeks if the Strait of Hormuz remains shut.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Acute pneumonia and a previous myocardial infarction — a heart attack — were listed as contributing factors in his death.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

Acute pain acts as a warning signal, starting when injured tissue, such as a stubbed toe, sends messages through the spinal cord to the brain.

From Science Daily • Apr. 27, 2026

The official death toll from the incident is 31 people - two were killed by the explosion itself, while 28 died from Acute Radiation Sickness, and one from cardiac arrest, in the weeks afterwards.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

Soon, someone somewhere decided to give it a proper name: Idiopathic Adolescent Acute Neurodegeneration—IAAN for short.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

Related Words

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