sharp

1 of 4

adjective

ˈshärp 

1

: adapted to cutting or piercing: such as

a

: having a thin keen edge or fine point

b

: briskly or bitingly cold : nipping

a sharp wind

2

a

: keen in intellect : quick-witted

b

: keen in perception : acute

sharp sight

c

: keen in attention : vigilant

keep a sharp lookout

d

: keen in attention to one's own interest sometimes to the point of being unethical

a sharp trader

also : corrupt, unethical

sharp business practices

3

: keen in spirit or action: such as

a

: full of activity or energy : brisk

sharp blows

b

: capable of acting or reacting strongly

especially : caustic

4

: severe, harsh: such as

a

: inclined to or marked by irritability or anger

a sharp temper

b

: causing intense mental or physical distress

a sharp pain

c

: cutting in language or import

a sharp rebuke

5

: affecting the senses or sense organs intensely: such as

a(1)

: having a strong odor or flavor

sharp cheese

(2)

: acrid

b

: having a strong piercing sound

c

: having the effect of or involving a sudden brilliant display of light

a sharp flash

6

a

: terminating in a point or edge

sharp features

b

: involving an abrupt or marked change especially in direction

a sharp turn

c

: clear in outline or detail : distinct

a sharp image

d

: set forth with clarity and distinctness

sharp contrast

7

a

of a tone : raised a half step in pitch

b

: higher than the proper pitch

c

: major, augmented

—used of an interval in music

8

: stylish, dressy

sharply adverb

sharpness noun

sharp

2 of 4

adverb

1

: in a sharp manner

2

: exactly

1:15 sharp

sharp

3 of 4

noun

plural sharps

: one that is sharp: such as

a

: a sharp edge or point

b(1)

: a musical note or tone one half step higher than a note or tone named

(2)

: a character ♯ on a line or space of the musical staff indicating a pitch a half step higher than the degree would indicate without it

c

: a needle with a small eye for sewing by hand

d

: a real or self-proclaimed expert

also : sharper

e

: a medical instrument (such as a scalpel, lancet, or syringe needle) that is sharp or may produce sharp pieces by shattering

—usually plural

It is no longer legal to dispose of sharps in the regular trash, Health Director Jeanne M. Galloway said in announcing the new collection station.

—Angela Carbone

sharp

4 of 4

verb

sharped; sharping; sharps

transitive verb

: to raise (a musical tone) in pitch

especially : to raise in pitch by a half step

intransitive verb

: to sing or play above the proper pitch

Synonyms

Adjective

• cutting
• edged
• edgy
• ground
• honed
• keen
• sharpened
• stropped
• trenchant
• whetted

Adverb

• due
• exactly
• full
• just
• precisely
• right
• smack-dab
• squarely

Noun

• ace
• adept
• artist
• authority
• cognoscente
• connoisseur
• crackerjack
• crackajack
• dab [chiefly British]
• dab hand [chiefly British]
• expert
• fiend
• geek
• guru
• hand
• hotshot
• maestro
• master
• maven
• mavin
• meister
• past master
• proficient
• scholar
• shark
• virtuoso
• whiz
• wizard

Choose the Right Synonym for sharp

sharp, keen, acute mean having or showing alert competence and clear understanding.

sharp implies quick perception, clever resourcefulness, or sometimes questionable trickiness.

sharp enough to spot a confidence game

keen suggests quickness, enthusiasm, and a penetrating mind.

a keen observer of the political scene

acute implies a power to penetrate and may suggest subtlety and sharpness of discrimination.

an acute sense of style

Examples of sharp in a Sentence

Adjective

a sharp drop in temperature

He took a sharp left turn.

a sharp curve in the road

Her cheerful mood stands in sharp contrast to her dreary surroundings.

Adverb

be there at four o'clock sharp

Noun

the computer sharp that the rest of the staff turns to whenever their PCs act up

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Equally important were the show’s recurring personalities: Tom Colicchio, a chef’s chef who ran some of New York City’s sharpest restaurants, was the gruff, no-nonsense industry veteran; Gail Simmons, from the magazine Food & Wine, was the polished, critically insightful diner. —Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2024

Tucked among these diplomatic affairs are tender flashbacks of Berezovsky with his old math professor (a sharp Ronald Guttman), who worried that his pupil’s insatiable desire for more might lead to his ruin. —Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Old English scearp; akin to Old High German scarf sharp and perhaps to Old English scrapian to scrape — more at scrape

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1662, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing sharp

• a sharp tongue
• card sharp
• good/keen/sharp eye
• in stark/marked/sharp contrast with/to
• keen/sharp eye
• keep a sharp eye on
• look sharp
• razor-sharp
• sharp-eyed
• sharp-nosed
• sharp practice
• sharp-set
• sharp-shinned hawk
• sharp-sighted
• sharp-tongued
• sharp-witted

Kids Definition

sharp

1 of 4 adjective

ˈshärp 

1

a

: having a thin keen edge or fine point

a sharp knife

b

: briskly cold : nipping

sharp biting wind

2

a

: alert in understanding : quick-witted

a sharp student

b

: having very good ability to see or hear

you have sharp eyes

c

: keen in attention to one's own interest sometimes to the point of being dishonest

a sharp customer

3

a

: full of activity or energy : brisk

keep up a sharp pace

b

: eager

a sharp appetite

4

a

: curt, angry

a sharp reply

b

: causing intense mental or physical distress

a sharp pain

sharp criticism

5

: having a strong odor or flavor

sharp cheese

6

a

: ending in a point or edge

sharp features

sharp mountain peaks

b

: involving an abrupt change

a sharp turn

a sharp drop in the temperature

c

: clear in outline or detail : distinct

a sharp image

d

: set forth with clarity and distinctness

sharp contrast

7

a

: higher by a half step than the pitch of the note indicated by the letter name

b

: higher than the true pitch

8

: stylish, dressy

sharply adverb

sharpness noun

sharp

2 of 4 adverb

1

: in a sharp manner : sharply

sang sharp

2

: at an exact time

arrive by four o'clock sharp

sharp

3 of 4 noun

1

: a musical note or tone one half step higher than the note or tone indicated by the letter name

also : a character ♯ on a line or space of the staff indicating such a note or tone

2

: a needle with a small eye for sewing by hand

sharp

4 of 4 verb

1

: to raise in pitch especially by a half step

2

: to sing or play above the true pitch

Medical Definition

sharp

noun

ˈshärp 

: a medical instrument (as a scalpel, lancet, or syringe needle) that is sharp or may produce sharp pieces by shattering

As I passed the hemostat, the needle clipped my glove and my skin … I then disposed of the sharp and tried to force bleeding.

—The Journal of the American Medical Association

—usually used in plural

It is no longer legal to dispose of sharps in the regular trash, Health Director Jeanne M. Galloway said in announcing the new collection station.

—Angela Carbone, The Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican

Biographical Definition

Sharp

biographical name

ˈshärp 

Phillip Allen 1944–     American biologist