acuity
Americannoun
noun
-
keenness or acuteness, esp in vision or thought
-
the capacity of the eye to see fine detail, measured by determining the finest detail that can just be detected
Other Word Forms
- hyperacuity noun
- nonacuity noun
Etymology
Origin of acuity
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 ( acute ) + -itās -ity
Explanation
Acuity has to do with sharpness and smartness. Do you always get top grades in math? Then you have an acuity for numbers. People often talk about "mental acuity" which is a fancy way of saying intelligence, brains, or smartness. There are specific kinds of acuity, too. As people become very old, they tend to lose their acuity in many areas, including their vision, which is one reason very old people don't drive as well. A 40-year-old quarterback isn't going to have the same acuity for seeing receivers and throwing the ball as a 25-year-old quarterback.
Vocabulary lists containing acuity
Vocabulary from "Stop Expecting Games to Build Empathy" by Julie Muncy
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Unbroken
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"Coming to Our Senses," Vocabulary from the science essay
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“While these pressures are not new, they are becoming harder to absorb as patient needs grow more complex, driven by an aging population, higher acuity, and shifting patient expectations.”
From MarketWatch • Mar. 13, 2026
These essays show she lost none of her acuity in her final years.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025
On average, participants' visual acuity improved by 5 lines; one improved by 12 lines.
From Science Daily • Oct. 22, 2025
Does he still have enough mental acuity to think deeply about his burger and his career favorite lie?
From Salon • Oct. 3, 2025
Visual acuity correctable to 20/20; if there have been surgical procedures to the eye, such as LASIK, a year must have passed since the latest procedure.
From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
