acute

adjective \ ə-ˈkyüt \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of acute

acuter; acutest

1 a (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

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

—

acutely

adverb

—

acuteness

noun

See acute defined for English-language learners

See acute defined for kids

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 of acute from the Web

The pay disparity in restaurants has become more acute as local minimum wages have risen.

— jonathan kauffman, San Francisco Chronicle, "Change in law allows pooling of tips in California, aiding cooks, dishwashers," 12 Apr. 2018
Germany is suffering a dearth of pallets, and labour shortages are becoming more acute.

— The Economist, "Germany’s conservative economic model is being put to the test," 12 Apr. 2018
Second: Their needs elsewhere are too acute to go all-in for a quarterback this year.

— peter king, SI.com, "2018 NFL Draft: What Bill Belichick and the Patriots Will Do ... (We Think)," 11 Apr. 2018
The most acute effect will be felt in Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District, which Ryan has represented since 1999.

— terence burlij, CNN, "House Key Race alerts: Paul Ryan's and six other seats move toward Democrats," 11 Apr. 2018
New roles for traditional hospitals — as providers for almost exclusively long-term or highly acute cases — may be difficult to adopt, since hospitals have historically been reluctant to embrace transformative change.

— rita e. numerof, STAT, "Microhospitals and healthplexes offer a peek at the future of health care," 10 Apr. 2018
Krasinski's third directing effort, which stars himself and wife Emily Blunt is about a family in a future dystopia populated by violent creatures with extremely acute hearing.

— CBS News, ""A Quiet Place" makes thunderous $50M box office debut," 8 Apr. 2018
But what may have started as acute pain from an injury can easily evolve into persistent chronic pain, requiring advanced therapies and treatments.

— paige mclaughlin, Philly.com, "Q&A: How can I manage my back and neck pain without opioid medications?," 7 Apr. 2018
The mayor, who had an acute cerebral hemorrhage, survived and was in stable condition Thursday.

— mari yamaguchi, BostonGlobe.com, "Sumo in uproar as women first responders ordered out of ring," 6 Apr. 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.

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").

Origin and Etymology of 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 ¹edge

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

See Words from the same year

acute Synonyms

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

synonyms see in addition sharp

ACUTE Defined for English Language Learners

acute

adjective

Definition of acute for English Language Learners

: very serious or dangerous : requiring serious attention or action
: having or showing an ability to think clearly and to understand what is not obvious or simple about something
: very strong and sensitive : highly developed

ACUTE Defined for Kids

acute

adjective \ ə-ˈkyüt \

Definition of acute for Students

acuter; acutest

1 : measuring less than 90 degrees

acute angles

2 : marked by or showing an ability to understand things that are not obvious

an acute observation

3 : severe, sharp

acute pain

4 : developing quickly and lasting only a short time

acute illness

5 : critical 4, urgent

an acute shortage of food

6 : very strong and sensitive

an acute sense of smell

—

acutely

adverb

—

acuteness

noun

Medical Dictionary

acute

adjective \ ə-ˈkyüt \

medical Definition of acute

1 : sensing or perceiving accurately, clearly, effectively, or sensitively

acute vision

2 a : characterized by sharpness or severity of sudden onset

acute pain brought on by injury

an acute infection

b (1) : having a sudden onset, sharp rise, and short course

acute illness

an acute inflammation

— compare chronic 2a

(2) : acute care

an acute hospital

c : lasting a short time

acute experiments

—

acutely

adverb

—

acuteness

noun

Learn More about acute

See words that rhyme with acute Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for acute Spanish Central: Translation of acute Nglish: Translation of acute for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of acute for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up acute? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

acute

Definition of acute

acutely

acuteness

Examples of acute in a Sentence

Recent Examples of acute from the Web

Ways to be acute

Origin and Etymology of acute

acute Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of acute

ACUTE Defined for English Language Learners

acute

Definition of acute for English Language Learners

ACUTE Defined for Kids

acute

Definition of acute for Students

acutely

acuteness

Medical Dictionary

acute

medical Definition of acute

acutely

acuteness

Learn More about acute

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

All the Hits

The Fossil Encased in "Case In Point"

Trending: 'Venom' Trailer Drives Searches for 'Symbiote'

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes