acute

acute

adj \ə-ˈkyüt\

acut·eracut·est

Definition of ACUTE

1

a (1) : characterized by sharpness or severity <acute pain> (2) : having a sudden onset, sharp rise, and short course <acute disease> (3) : being, providing, or requiring short-term medical care (as for serious illness or traumatic injury) <acute hospitals> <an acute patient> b : lasting a short time <acute experiments>

2

: ending in a sharp point: as a : being or forming an angle measuring less than 90 degrees <an acute angle> b : composed of acute angles <an acute triangle>

3

a of an accent mark : having the form ´ b : marked with an acute accent c : of the variety indicated by an acute accent

4

a : marked by keen discernment or intellectual perception especially of subtle distinctions <an acute thinker> b : responsive to slight impressions or stimuli <acute hearing>

5

: felt, perceived, or experienced intensely <acute distress>

6

: demanding urgent attention <an acute emergency>

— acute·ly adverb

— acute·ness noun

Examples of ACUTE

1. an acute sense of humor
2. It's a politically acute film that does not oversimplify the issues.

Origin of ACUTE

Middle English, from Latin acutus, past participle of acuere to sharpen, from acus needle; akin to Latin acer sharp — more at edge

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to ACUTE

Synonyms: delicate, fine, keen, perceptive, quick, sensitive, sharp

Antonyms: noncritical, nonurgent

Related Words: accurate, clear, discerning, good, piercing, precise, receptive, sensible, subtle; hair-trigger, hyperacute, hypersensitive, oversensitive, supersensitive

Near Antonyms: bad, deadened, dimmed, dull, dulled, fading; dead, imperceptive, insensible, insensitive, numb; imprecise, inaccurate

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Synonym Discussion of ACUTE

acute, critical, crucial mean of uncertain outcome. acute stresses intensification of conditions leading to a culmination or breaking point <an acute housing shortage>. critical adds to acute implications of imminent change, of attendant suspense, and of decisiveness in the outcome <the war has entered a critical phase>. crucial suggests a dividing of the ways and often a test or trial involving the determination of a future course or direction <a crucial vote>.

Rhymes with ACUTE

astute, Asyût, bear fruit, beetroot, Beirut, birthroot, bloodroot, breadfruit, butut, cahoot, Canute, catsuit, cheroot, choucroute, clubroot, commute, compute, confute, crapshoot, cube root, deaf-mute, depute, dilute, dispute, dry suit, elute, en route, enroot, flight suit, folkmoot, freeboot, galoot, grapefruit, G suit, hardboot, hip boot, hirsute, imbrute, impute, jackboot, jackfruit, jumpsuit, kashruth, lawsuit, long suit, lounge suit, minute, nonsuit, offshoot, outshoot, Paiute, pantsuit, permute, playsuit, pollute, pursuit, recruit, refute, repute, salute, sans doute, seaboot, snowsuit, solute, square root, star fruit, star route, statute, strong suit, sunsuit, sweat suit, swimsuit, take root, taproot, to boot, tracksuit, trade route, transmute, tribute, uproot, volute, wet suit, zoot suit