acuity

[uh-kyoo-i-tee]

noun

1. sharpness; acuteness; keenness.

   acuity of vision;

   acuity of mind.

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

Other Word Forms

• hyperacuity noun
• nonacuity noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of acuity¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of acuity¹

C15: from Old French, from Latin acūtus _acute

Example Sentences

But it’s not just his own mortality, shrinking mental acuity and the Jeffrey Epstein case that is scaring him.

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There now seems to be a bit of snickering immaturity in the film’s garish period trappings, though the emotional acuity and empathetic consideration of even the most minor of characters still makes “Boogie Nights” remarkable.

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The admiration for Kirk’s political organizing skills and mental acuity cut across political lines.

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Plenty of books have been written offering insider accounts of the White House and presenting far more dire accounts of Biden’s physical and mental acuity.

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They arrived "with varying levels of acuity", a spokesman said.

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Related Words

• awareness 
• brilliance 
• guile 
• ingenuity 
• insight 
• intellect 
• intelligence 
• intuition 
• judgment 
• sensitivity 
• shrewdness 
• vision 
• wisdom 
• wit