acuteness

American  

[uh-kyoot-nis] / əˈkyut nɪs /

noun

1. sharpness or intensity.

   The incident illustrates with devastating acuteness how important it is to consider the needs of others when choosing our words.

2. the fact, quality, or degree of being serious or critical; severity.

   The acuteness of these social problems varies from country to country, but everywhere they are an offense against human dignity.

3. the quality of being sharp or penetrating in intellect or insight.

   I appreciated the courtesy of the committee's interrogation as well as the acuteness of their questions.

4. sensitivity even to slight details or impressions.

   The acuteness of my hearing while under nervous strain was extraordinary—I could hear a watch ticking three rooms away.

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Other Word Forms

• hyperacuteness noun
• nonacuteness noun
• overacuteness noun
• superacuteness noun

Etymology

Origin of acuteness

acute ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Example Sentences

A bout of weepy swooning, marveling at the acuteness of an aspartame-induced diet soda headache, was a bracing warning that even joy could be distractingly paralyzing.

From Washington Post • Mar. 11, 2022

And the acuteness of that challenge has occurred at the same time as the rise of Q-stagram.

From Slate • Sep. 18, 2020

And I think that the acuteness of that anger is embodied in that emotional response to the news cycle is present, definitely present in some way in the pilot.

From Salon • Aug. 23, 2018

William Jay Smith, a former United States poet laureate whose work was known both for its acuteness of observation and acuteness of craftsmanship, died on Tuesday in Pittsfield, Mass. He was 97.

From New York Times • Aug. 19, 2015

It is impossible to express with what acuteness I felt the convict’s breathing, not only on the back of my head, but all along my spine.

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens