Entry Word: acute

Function: adjective

Meaning: 1 able to sense slight impressions or differences <dogs, with their acute sense of smell, are used for finding toxic substances undetectable by humans>

Synonyms delicate, keen, perceptive, sensitive, sharp

Related Words accurate, clear, discerning, fine, good, piercing, precise, quick, receptive, sensible, subtle; hypersensitive, oversensitive, supersensitive

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

2 needing immediate attention <famine caused by an acute shortage of grain>

Synonyms critical, crying, dire, imperative, imperious, instant, pressing, urgent

Related Words compelling, demanding, extreme, immediate, insistent, intense, overriding; crucial, desperate, grave, life-and-death, serious, severe, vital; dangerous, explosive, hazardous, perilous, precarious, unstable

Near Antonyms incidental, low-pressure, minor, negligible, trivial, unimportant; nonthreatening, safe, stable

Antonyms noncritical, nonurgent

3 causing intense mental or physical distress <the acute pain in his side was quickly diagnosed as appendicitis> — see sharp 2
4 having a high musical pitch or range <the acute sound of a siren> — see shrill