acute

adjective \ ə-ˈkyüt \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

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Examples: acute in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Ways to be acute

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

One thing is certain, the desire for a new government is acute.

— josh wingrove, Bloomberg.com, "Favored in Ontario’s Election: A Trump-Like Populist Dangling Tax Cuts," 7 June 2018
With most precincts reporting, Democrats seemed to have captured second place in the contests where the threat was most acute.

— christine mai-duc, latimes.com, "Democrats look like they won't be shut out of critical California House races," 6 June 2018
These needs are particularly acute with respect to water, where nearly $50 billion is estimated to be needed over the next 20 years for water supply, water quality, flood control, beach erosion and the Everglades.

— miamiherald, "Leigh-Ann Buchanan," 5 June 2018
Having your service or software copied is an occupational hazard for any developer, but the danger is particularly acute in Apple’s ecosystem because of the power the company wields over its OS and its users.

— james vincent, The Verge, "Six apps, services, and features Apple copied for iOS 12," 5 June 2018
The labor shortage is most acute in the construction industry, with 57% of such firms reporting current job openings.

— james freeman, WSJ, "A Record Month for Raises," 31 May 2018
This is particularly acute in the food world: What’s more selfless than an entire industry dedicated to serving others, to feeding others?

— paolo lucchesi, San Francisco Chronicle, "Welcome to Service: Stories to celebrate those who serve others," 25 May 2018
The impact on the youngest Yemenis is also acute, as images from Camp al Mahu -- a haven near Lahj -- devastatingly show.

— nick paton walsh, waffa munayyer and gabriel chaim, CNN, "Rare drone footage shows Yemen frontline city in ruins," 16 May 2018
The movie is very acute about the ways in which Marlo, during pregnancy and after, is often subtly or not so subtly judged by outsiders.

— peter rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, "‘Tully’ gives the Mary Poppins story an unsentimental update," 4 May 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

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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

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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

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