acuity

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noun acu·i·ty \ ə-ˈkyü-ə-tē , a- \

Definition of acuity

plural acuities

:keenness of perception

hearing acuity

mental acuity

See acuity defined for English-language learners

See acuity defined for kids

Examples of acuity in a Sentence

a worrisome deterioration in the acuity of his hearing over the years

Recent Examples of acuity from the Web

Mannella has achromatopsia, a genetic eye disease that affects her acuity, sensitivity to light and ability to see color.

— jeanine santucci, USA TODAY College, "This blind student Paralympic skiier is suing Dartmouth over accessibility," 23 Aug. 2017
Then everything rests on the acuity of the striker in the bow, who holds a darting gun loaded with an exploding harpoon.

— author: julia o'malley, Alaska Dispatch News, "Internet threats hound teen subsistence hunter after he kills bowhead whale," 12 Aug. 2017
Or perhaps Sheryl Sandberg, one of the most accomplished executives in the industry’s short history, whose discipline and acuity have helped accelerate Facebook beyond the expectations of even the most aggressive Wall Street analysts?

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "A Fake Mayo Company, a Jaden Smith Lawsuit, and the End of the Silicon Valley Dream," 3 Aug. 2017
Zach Strief also praised his mental acuity, noting a blitz pick-up Ramczyk made that impressed the veteran right tackle.

— NOLA.com, "5 takeaways from the offense at Saints camp," 29 July 2017
Conversations among fans, especially online, pit the genre’s biggest stars against one another in terms of album sales, cultural relevance and lyrical acuity.

— andrew gospe, The Seattle Times, "Kendrick Lamar’s Damn Tour comes to the Tacoma Dome," 27 July 2017
Prosecutors had enlisted a psychiatrist, who said the man had beaten her at tic-tac-toe, thus proving his mental acuity.

— maurice chammah, New York Times, "Scharlette Holdman, a Force for the Defense on Death Row, Dies at 70," 22 July 2017
And yet his lack of acuity during the first six months of a presidency with very ambitious goals for reshaping America was addressed in varying ways—including by taking the briefings off-air entirely.

— time, Time, "In Trump's Reality TV Presidency, Sean Spicer Was the Goat," 21 July 2017
Moonlight even sharpens the visual acuity of horseshoe crabs, which come ashore on certain nights to mate.

— ferris jabr, Smithsonian, "How Moonlight Sets Nature’s Rhythms," 22 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'acuity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Do you have acuity or sensitivity?

Acuity is nearly synonymous with at least one sense of sensitivity, yet, as is so often the case with closely-related words, there are subtle differences worth observing before you substitute one of these words for the other. Acuity does refer to a form of sensitivity, but it is most often applied to the perceptual senses (as in “visual acuity” or “auditory acuity”). It is also frequently used in reference to the intellect (as in “mental acuity”). Sensitivity has a broader range of meanings than acuity does, including “the capacity of being easily hurt.” It may be used of inanimate objects such as radios (“the sensitivity of the instruments was carefully calibrated”), a context in which acuity is unusual.