acuity
Americannoun
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acuities
plural
noun
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keenness or acuteness, esp in vision or thought
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the capacity of the eye to see fine detail, measured by determining the finest detail that can just be detected
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
Medical schools, too, have long incorporated the study of performance to develop empathy and observational acuity in future doctors.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
These types of "lower acuity" calls are categorised as either "yellow" or "green" where further assessment can be made.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
Her sentences are somewhat flat in tone, but the excitement comes from the acuity in her observations, which accumulate over pages to assemble a full, clear picture.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
"Through the recovery of Leonardo's DNA, we hope to understand the biological roots of his extraordinary visual acuity, creativity, and possibly even aspects of his health and causes of death."
From Science Daily ● May 4, 2026
Advocate De Vos became the new leader of the Crown’s team and could not match the eloquence or acuity of his predecessor.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Her first book was hot to the touch for its divine, earthly and intellectual acuities.
From New York Times ● Jan. 1, 2018
One has to admire the honesty of a film that includes among its other acuities an intelligent capsule review of itself.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
