acuity

[ uh-kyoo-i-tee ]
See synonyms for acuity on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. sharpness; acuteness; keenness: acuity of vision;acuity of mind.

Origin of acuity

1
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English acuite, from Old French, from Medieval Latin, Late Latin acuitās, equivalent to Latin acu(ere) to sharpen or acū(tus) sharpened (see acute) + -itās -ity

Other words from acuity

  • hy·per·a·cu·i·ty, noun
  • non·a·cu·i·ty, noun

Words Nearby acuity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use acuity in a sentence

  • In full acuity of vision even high degrees of hypermetropia are no trouble to children.

    Schweigger on Squint | C. Schweigger
  • The examination showed for the right eye hypermetropia 1·5, for the left myopia 3·5 D.; full acuity of vision on both sides.

    Schweigger on Squint | C. Schweigger
  • Full visual acuity on both sides—in the first examination slight myopia - ·75 D. is specified, afterwards emmetropia.

    Schweigger on Squint | C. Schweigger
  • The acuity of hearing was no longer so pronounced and the sense of refreshment, although still present, was not intense.

    The Blue Germ | Martin Swayne
  • The doctor must correct, as far as possible, the want of acuity noticed.

British Dictionary definitions for acuity

acuity

/ (əˈkjuːɪtɪ) /


noun
  1. keenness or acuteness, esp in vision or thought

  2. the capacity of the eye to see fine detail, measured by determining the finest detail that can just be detected

Origin of acuity

1
C15: from Old French, from Latin acūtus acute

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012