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
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 ( see 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.
According to research by Acuity Training, two-thirds of office workers use Excel at least once every hour.
From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026
“A long-standing problem is budgets don’t meet revenue and deficit targets so this budget will have to really focus on proper revenue-based fiscal consolidation,” said Shehan Cooray, head of research at Acuity Stockbrokers.
From Reuters • Aug. 29, 2022
In 2019, Squarespace made its first acquisition, buying Acuity Scheduling, which helps businesses with online appointments.
From New York Times • Feb. 13, 2022
Because governments are suing Masters for the cost of medical care and treatment for citizens allegedly harmed by the company’s distribution of opioids, Acuity must defend Masters against those lawsuits, the lawyers said.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 8, 2021
The Peek Acuity team also sent guardians text messages reminding them that the children needed further care.
From Nature • Apr. 9, 2019
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.
