acute

[uh-kyoot]

adjective

1. sharp or severe in effect; intense.

   acute sorrow;

   an acute pain.

   Antonyms: dull, dull

2. extremely great or serious; crucial; critical.

   an acute shortage of oil.

3. (of disease) brief and severe (chronic ).

   Synonyms: violent, extreme, sudden

4. sharp or penetrating in intellect, insight, or perception.

   an acute observer.

   Synonyms: sage, wise, knowing, brilliant, ingenious, bright, smart, clever, sharp-witted, perspicacious, intelligent, perceptive, discerning, astute, keen, sapient, sagacious
   Antonyms: dull, dull

5. extremely sensitive even to slight details or impressions.

   acute eyesight.

   Synonyms: keen

6. sharp at the end; ending in a point.

7. Geometry.

   1. (of an angle) less than 90°.

   2. (of a triangle) containing only acute angles.

8. Phonetics, Orthography.,  consisting of, indicated by, or bearing the diacritic ´, placed over vowel symbols in some languages to show that the vowels or the syllables they are in are pronounced in a certain way, as in French that the quality of an e so marked is close; in Hungarian that the vowel is long; in Spanish that the marked syllable bears the word accent; in Ibo that it is pronounced with high tones; or in classical Greek, where the mark originated, that the syllable bears the word accent and is pronounced, according to the ancient grammarians, with raised pitch (grave ): an acute e.

   the acute accent;

   an acute e.

noun

1. Phonetics, Orthography.,  the acute accent.

acute

/ əˈkjuːt /

adjective

1. penetrating in perception or insight

2. sensitive to details; keen

3. of extreme importance; crucial

4. sharp or severe; intense

   acute pain

   an acute drought

5. having a sharp end or point

6. maths

   1. (of an angle) less than 90°

   2. (of a triangle) having all its interior angles less than 90°

7. 1. arising suddenly and manifesting intense severity

   2. of relatively short duration Compare chronic

8. phonetics

   1. (of a vowel or syllable in some languages with a pitch accent, such as ancient Greek) spoken or sung on a higher musical pitch relative to neighbouring syllables or vowels

   2. Compare (for senses 8a, 8b): grave.  circumflex. of or relating to an accent (´) placed over vowels, denoting that the vowel is pronounced with higher musical pitch (as in ancient Greek), with a certain special quality (as in French), etc

9. (of a hospital, hospital bed, or ward) intended to accommodate short-term patients with acute illnesses

noun

1. an acute accent

acute

1. Reacting readily to stimuli or impressions, as hearing or eyesight; sensitive.

2. Relating to an illness that has a rapid onset and follows a short but severe course.

3. Compare chronic

4. Having an acute angle.

Other Word Forms

• acuteness noun
• acutely adverb
• hyperacute adjective
• nonacute adjective
• overacute adjective
• superacute adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of acute¹

First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin acūtus “sharpened,” past participle of acuere ( acū-, verb stem, akin to acus “needle,” ācer “sharp” + -tus past participle suffix)

Word History and Origins

Origin of acute¹

C14: from Latin acūtus, past participle of acuere to sharpen, from acus needle

Synonym Study

Acute, penetrating, shrewd imply a keenness of understanding, perception, or insight. Acute suggests particularly a clearness of perception and a realization of related meanings: an acute intellect. Penetrating adds the idea of depth of perception and a realization of implications: a wise and penetrating judgment. Shrewd adds the idea of knowing how to apply practically (or to one's own advantage) what one perceives and understands: wary and shrewd.

Example Sentences

"I suffered from acute depression for a while. I think it would be a fairly rare individual who didn't cave in under those circumstances."

From BBC

It was an era with much less openness about mental health and wellbeing - but she later revealed how much she had suffered from "acute depression".

From BBC

I am conscious of the acute challenges Ministers face - perhaps uniquely - in managing the demands of their personal lives and their public responsibilities.

From BBC

The acute sense of social direction came from Armani's early experience on the shop floor of that Milanese department store.

From BBC

Perry was found dead in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home in October 2023, with an examination finding his death was caused by the acute effects of ketamine.

From BBC

Related Words

• excruciating 
• fierce 
• keen 
• overwhelming 
• poignant 
• severe 
• sharp 
• sudden