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• sharp
  sharp

  adjective

  having a thin cutting edge or a fine point; well-adapted for cutting or piercing.
• Sharp
  Sharp

  noun

  William Fiona Macleod, 1855?–1905, Scottish poet and critic.

sharp

¹ American  

[shahrp] / ʃɑrp /

adjective

• sharper,
  comparative
• sharpest
  superlative

1. having a thin cutting edge or a fine point; well-adapted for cutting or piercing.

   a sharp knife.

   Antonyms:

   dull

2. terminating in an edge or point; not blunt or rounded.

   The table had sharp corners.

3. involving a sudden or abrupt change in direction or course.

   a sharp curve in the road; The car made a sharp turn.

4. abrupt, as an ascent.

   a sharp drop.

5. consisting of angular lines and pointed forms or of thin, long features.

   He had a sharp face.

6. clearly defined; distinct.

   a sharp photographic image.

   Synonyms:

   clear

7. distinct or marked, as a contrast.

   sharp differences of opinion.

8. pungent or biting in taste.

   a sharp cheese.

   Synonyms:

   sour, piquant, bitter, acrid

9. piercing or shrill in sound.

   a sharp cry.

10. keenly cold, as weather.

    a sharp, biting wind.

    Synonyms:

    biting, nipping, piercing

11. felt acutely; intense; distressing.

    sharp pain.

    Synonyms:

    excruciating, severe

12. merciless, caustic, or harsh.

    sharp words.

    Synonyms:

    biting, pointed, acrimonious, acid, cutting, unmerciful

13. fierce or violent.

    a sharp struggle.

14. keen or eager.

    sharp desire.

15. quick, brisk, or spirited.

16. alert or vigilant.

    They kept a sharp watch for the enemy.

    Synonyms:

    attentive

17. mentally acute.

    a sharp lad.

    Synonyms:

    discriminating, clever, perspicacious, discerning

18. extremely sensitive or responsive; keen.

    sharp vision; sharp hearing.

19. shrewd or astute.

    a sharp bargainer.

20. shrewd to the point of dishonesty.

    sharp practice.

    Synonyms:

    deceitful, shady

21. Music.

    1. (of a tone) raised a chromatic half step in pitch.

       F sharp.

    2. above an intended pitch, as a note; too high (opposed to flat).

22. Informal. very stylish.

    a sharp dresser; a sharp jacket.

23. Radio, Electronics. of, relating to, or responsive to a very narrow range of frequencies.

24. Phonetics. fortis; voiceless.

25. composed of hard, angular grains, as sand.

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verb (used with object)

• sharps,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sharped,
  past participle,  past
• sharping
  present participle

1. Music. to raise in pitch, especially by one chromatic half step.

verb (used without object)

• sharps,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sharped,
  past participle,  past
• sharping
  present participle

1. to sound above the true pitch.

adverb

1. keenly or acutely.

2. abruptly or suddenly.

   to pull a horse up sharp.

3. punctually.

   Meet me at one o'clock sharp.

4. briskly; quickly.

   The horse turned sharp to the left.

5. Music. above the true pitch.

   You're singing a little sharp.

noun

• sharps
  plural

1. something sharp.

2. Usually sharps a medium-length needle with a rounded eye and a sharp point, used for all-purpose hand sewing.

3. a sharper.

4. Informal. an expert.

5. Music.

   1. a tone one chromatic half step above a given tone.

   2. (in musical notation) the symbol ♯ indicating this.

idioms

1. look sharp. look.

Sharp ² American  

[shahrp] / ʃɑrp /

noun

1. William Fiona Macleod, 1855?–1905, Scottish poet and critic.

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sharp ¹ British  

/ ʃɑːp /

adjective

1. having a keen edge suitable for cutting

2. having an edge or point; not rounded or blunt

3. involving a sudden change, esp in direction

   a sharp bend

4. moving, acting, or reacting quickly, efficiently, etc

   sharp reflexes

5. clearly defined

6. mentally acute; clever; astute

7. sly or artful; clever in an underhand way

   sharp practice

8. bitter or harsh

   sharp words

9. shrill or penetrating

   a sharp cry

10. having an acrid taste

11. keen; biting

    a sharp wind

    sharp pain

12. music

    1. (immediately postpositive) denoting a note that has been raised in pitch by one chromatic semitone

       B sharp

    2. (of an instrument, voice, etc) out of tune by being or tending to be too high in pitch Compare flat 1

13. phonetics a less common word for fortis

14. informal

    1. stylish

    2. too smart

15. involved in the area of any activity where there is most difficulty, competition, danger, etc

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adverb

1. in a sharp manner

2. exactly

   six o'clock sharp

3. music

   1. higher than a standard pitch

   2. out of tune by being or tending to be too high in pitch Compare flat 1

      she sings sharp

noun

1. music

   1. an accidental that raises the pitch of the following note by one chromatic semitone

   2. a note affected by this accidental Compare flat 1

2. a thin needle with a sharp point

3. informal a sharper

4. (usually plural) any medical instrument with sharp point or edge, esp a hypodermic needle

verb

1. Usual equivalent in Britain and certain other countries): sharpen. (tr) music to raise the pitch of (a note), esp by one chromatic semitone

interjection

1. slang an exclamation of full agreement or approval

Sharp ² British  

/ ʃɑːp /

noun

1. Cecil ( James ). 1859–1924, British musician, best known for collecting, editing, and publishing English folk songs

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sharp More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing sharp

• keep an eye (a sharp lookout) for
• look sharp

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Synonym Usage

Sharp, keen refer to the edge or point of an instrument, tool, and the like. Sharp applies, in general, to a cutting edge or a point capable of piercing: a sharp knife; a sharp point. Keen is usually applied to sharp edges: a keen sword blade. As applied to mental qualities, sharp, keen, intelligent, quick have varying implications. Sharp suggests an acute, sensitive, alert, penetrating quality: a sharp mind. Keen implies observant, incisive, and vigorous: a keen intellect. Intelligent means not only acute, alert, and active, but also able to reason and understand: an intelligent reader. Quick suggests lively and rapid comprehension, prompt response to instruction, and the like: quick at figures.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sharpness
  noun
• unsharpness
  noun
• oversharp
  adjective
• supersharp
  adjective
• ultrasharp
  adjective
• unsharp
  adjective
• unsharped
  adjective
• unsharping
  adjective
• sharply
  adverb
• unsharply
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sharps
  plural

Adjectives

• sharper
  comparative
• sharpest
  superlative

Participles

• sharping
  present
• sharped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• sharp
  simple
• sharps
  simple
• have sharped
  perfect
• has sharped
  perfect
• am sharping
  progressive
• are sharping
  progressive
• is sharping
  progressive
• have been sharping
  perfect progressive
• has been sharping
  perfect progressive

Past

• sharped
  simple
• had sharped
  perfect
• was sharping
  progressive
• were sharping
  progressive
• had been sharping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will sharp
  simple
• will have sharped
  perfect
• will be sharping
  progressive
• will have been sharping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of sharp

First recorded before 900; (adjective) Middle English; Old English scearp; cognate with German scharf; (adverb) Middle English; Old English scearpe, derivative of the adjective; (noun, verb) Middle English, derivative of the adjective

Explanation

Something with a thin edge or a fine point that can cut is sharp. It's painful when your dog climbs into your lap, poking you with his sharp toenails. A knife and a pointed stick are sharp, since they can pierce or cut, and a piercing pain in your neck is also sharp. You can also use sharp to describe a smart person or clever decision — or someone who dresses well, or the clothes such a person wears. Sharp also means clear, like sharp images in a book of black and white photography, or sudden, like a sharp turn in a mountain road.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sharp Sharp sharps sharper sharpest sharped sharping

In France consumer prices rose three percent in the month compared to a year earlier, the highest since February 2024 and a sharp increase from 2.4 percent in August, statistics office Insee said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

The FPC said that while the financial system has so far been “resilient” as yields have risen to multiyear highs, “the risk of a sharp adjustment remains.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

Saving the day has never totally suited him — he’s too sharp and ambitious.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026

This caused a sharp jump in oil prices, which has fed through to higher energy and fuel prices.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

His ears are so sharp that he can hear the clouds pass.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

The project is being led by Sharp, an epidemiologist at the University of Exeter who specialises in women's health research.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Beard, whose beats carried hits like "La Grange" and "Sharp Dressed Man," had stepped back from touring last year after suffering unspecified health issues.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

In the 1980s, while Sharp, HP and Casio marketed their scientific calculators to professionals, Texas Instruments was focused on penetrating the education space.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

Sharp sentenced Young to life without the possibility of parole, as the law mandated.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

Alyce thought if she needed a midwife, she would rather someone like Will than Jane Sharp, for all her spells and syrups.

From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman

No one associated with the musical knows whether a show so right for pastry puns set to sharps and flats can be a hefty source of … dough.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 20, 2023

It also found wall-mounted hand sanitising containers were empty and medical sharps bins were filled above capacity.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2022

The old ones go into a sharps container — a sturdy plastic box — that he sends to Trac-B Exchange in Las Vegas, where they are sterilized and pulverized for safe disposal.

From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2022

They even found ways to put sharps containers out of sight, so that those who were nervous about shots weren’t fearful.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 25, 2022

Using double or triple sharps or flats may seem to be making things more difficult than they need to be.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

In the 18 Pro image, the details are sharper.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

That bullish positioning leaves the market vulnerable to a much sharper pullback than we have seen so far, especially if any further bad news comes along to spark renewed fears.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

US tariffs pose a modestly negative risk to Canada's overall economy, but analysts note that they have a sharper impact on Central Canada's manufacturing sector.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

Taylor was sharper throughout, repeatedly beating the Frenchwoman to the punch before finishing with one final burst of combinations as the crowd rose to its feet.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

They kept their beaks faced toward the stranger, and Luna felt for sure that they had somehow become harder, sharper, and more dangerous than before.

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill

That political pressure has been sharpest over data centers, the vast computing facilities the technology requires, with more and more communities worried about rising electricity bills and the strain on water and land.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

Discussions around AI, one of the sharpest sources of friction, show how hard even modest cooperation has become.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Most frozen turkeys were trucked to stores before diesel’s sharpest increases, he said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

The International Energy Agency, external predicts India's electricity demand will increase by 80% by 2035, the sharpest jump among emerging economies.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

The sharpest of all were the big-time Harlem gamblers in white dinner jackets, elegantly stepping with glittering women who looked as though they posed for the advertisements in Ebony magazine.

From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte

These are some macho men of the old Southern tradition, and trying their final product usually consists of a gigantically sharped bushman’s knife hacking through a Fred Flintstone style brontosaurus size steak.

From Forbes ● Jan. 21, 2015

Hence didactic William sharped his own son out of board-money.

From Time Magazine Archive

I'm eaten out of house and home, and sharped at cards besides.

From The Strange Adventures of Captain Dangerous, Vol. 2 Who was a sailor, a soldier, a merchant, a spy, a slave among the moors... by George Augustus Sala

And when he sharped yon old carving-knife of grandfather’s, you couldn’t tell arter he’d done which side were the back and which side were the edge.

From Frank Oldfield Lost and Found by Theodore P. Wilson

Dey say de brudder, Mister Benny, he done sharped it 'way from de others befo' he die, but I 'lieve the gals will win dat lawsuit.

From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves. Texas Narratives, Part 2 by Work Projects Administration

Looking beyond individual commodities, three broader macro forces are also sharping the market, said Guy Wolf, global head of market analytics at Marex.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 13, 2026

Keaton’s comeback is the result, he says, of sharping his focus.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 13, 2014

With all this injustice, he is never a good case, but, like those among I men who live by sharping and robbing, he is generally poor.

From Time Magazine Archive

Outwardly innocent, Santana's instrumental solos are long-lined and full of musical guile, bending, flatting and sharping with something of the intricacy of Oriental music.

From Time Magazine Archive

She is sharping," exclaimed Gardiner, slowly; "she has to sharp very hard, my mother does.

From Fairfax and His Pride by Marie Van Vorst

Related Words

• acute
• bright
• brilliant
• fast
• intelligent
• nimble
• quick
• slick
• smart
• subtle