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

Otherwise, the public purse and citizens are deprived of funds for much needed investments – the need for which is even more acute now to support Europe’s economic recovery.

From TechCrunch

I experience chronic sinusitis and headaches with fairly frequent acute infections.

From Fortune

So the hospital industry lobbied for a new kind of health system for older adults who were dependent on getting medical help but did not need acute care.

From ProPublica

I am for more of it, not less, especially at this moment of acute need.

From Fortune

ProPublica focused on those who remained — the 55 people who died outside of any acute care setting, in categories the coroner labeled “decedent residence,” “hospice” and “other care center,” which often included hospice deaths.

From ProPublica

Exploitation of trafficking victims may be most acute in conflict and adjoining regions, but it is not confined to these areas.

From The Daily Beast

This sense of vulnerability is, of course, even more acute in micro-states like Jamaica.

From The Daily Beast

Hyperemesis Gravidarum is very acute morning sickness, which may require supplementary hydration, medication and nutrients.

From The Daily Beast

The soil variations are acute enough that they can differ radically from one side of a road to another.

From The Daily Beast

And my teenage daughters went into the town to shop at cute stores selling cute things at acute prices.

From The Daily Beast

In acute and chronic parenchymatous nephritis the quantity is usually very large.

From Project Gutenberg

Renal cells are abundant in parenchymatous nephritis, especially the acute form.

From Project Gutenberg

There was acute disharmony in the room, where a little time before there had been at least an outward show of harmony.

From Project Gutenberg

As they got lower and lower down the hill, her wretchedness and disquiet became acute, to the point of a wild despair.

From Project Gutenberg

It seemed quite the forlornest hope I had ever heard of, but Jack's distress was so acute that I hadn't the heart to refuse.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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