acute

adjective

\ ə-ˈkyüt

acuter; acutest

Definition of acute

1a(1) : characterized by sharpness or severity of sudden onset acute pain

(2) : having a sudden onset, sharp rise, and short course acute illness

(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: such as

a : being or forming an angle measuring less than 90 degrees an acute angle

b : composed of acute angles an acute triangle

3a of an accent mark : having the form ´

b : marked with an acute accent

c : of the variety indicated by an acute accent

4a : 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

Other Words from acute Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Ways to Be Acute More Example Sentences Learn More about acute

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Choose the Right Synonym for 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

synonyms see in addition sharp

Ways to Be Acute

For such a short and simple-looking word, acute has a rather bewildering range of meanings. It first entered the English language with a medical sense, referring to the sharpness or severity of a symptom. It retains this meaning today, but can also refer to the severity of more general matters, such as "acute embarrassment" or "an acute shortage."

Acute is also frequently used to describe less troublesome matters, such as keenness of perception ("an acute observer" or "an acute sense of smell"), a type of angle (one measuring less than 90 degrees), or the demand for urgent attention ("acute danger").

Examples of acute in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

The symptoms may be acute, triggered by particular events like vet visits, and alleviated afterward. — Bridget Alex, Discover Magazine, "What Science Says About Why You're Stressed and How to Cope," 21 June 2019 The Stages of Sleep Deprivation There are two kinds of sleep deprivation, according to Dr. Bollu: acute and chronic. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "What Happens to Your Body When You’re Sleep Deprived," 10 June 2019 Get our daily newsletter The immediate scandal is the most acute and far-reaching crisis in Facebook’s 14-year history. — The Economist, "If Facebook will not fix itself, will Congress?," 11 Apr. 2018 Problems like homelessness and poverty became more acute as the public safety net was cut back under Conservative austerity politics. — John Cassidy, The New Yorker, "Why Socialism Is Back," 18 June 2019 The crisis was more acute in urban areas (7.8%) than in rural (5.3%). — Nupur Anand, Quartz India, "More education means less employment in Modi’s India," 10 June 2019 Some of the more acute pressures Kiarostami’s characters resisted came from getting filmed. — Max Nelson, Harper's magazine, "The All-Seeing Eye," 10 June 2019 The question of national identity became acute during and after the Spanish Civil War. — Robert Irwin, The New York Review of Books, "The Contested Legacy of Muslim Spain," 21 Mar. 2019 With each action that Trump and the Republican Party take that breaks with democratic precedent, the illness afflicting American democracy becomes a little more acute. — Zack Beauchamp, Vox, "The 9 thinkers who made sense of 2018’s chaos," 27 Dec. 2018

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

History and Etymology for acute

Middle English, borrowed from Latin acūtus "sharpened, pointed, having a violent onset, discerning, less than 90 degrees (of an angle)," from past participle of acuere "to sharpen, rouse, stimulate," probably derived from an otherwise unattested adjective stem acū- "sharp"; akin to acū-, acus "needle," a perhaps independently derived noun; further akin to Old Church Slavic osŭtŭ "thistle," Lithuanian ãšutas "hair of a horse's tail or mane"; all going back to the Indo-European base *h₂eḱ- "sharp" — more at edge entry 1