subacute

adjective

sub·​acute ˌsəb-ə-ˈkyüt How to pronounce subacute (audio)
1
: having a tapered but not sharply pointed form
subacute leaves
2
a
: falling between acute and chronic in character especially when closer to acute
subacute endocarditis
b
: less marked in severity or duration than a corresponding acute state
subacute pain
subacutely adverb

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web The guidelines affect acute, subacute, and chronic pain, but do not apply to pain from certain conditions like sickle cell disease or cancer. Korin Miller, Health, 26 Feb. 2023 Less costly long-term facilities, called subacute care or institutions for the mentally disabled (IMDs), are chronically backed up. Doug Smithsenior Writer, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2022 Evans, who works in a subacute unit for long-term care patients on ventilators, said there have been times when her unit hasn’t had enough towels, wipes and diapers for patients. Jessica Flores, San Francisco Chronicle, 22 June 2022 Doctors often categorize medical conditions as acute, subacute, or chronic. Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 23 May 2022 Two people were waiting about 120 days for placement at Napa State Hospital, while 18 people were waiting for between five and 141 days for locked subacute treatment. Trisha Thadani, SFChronicle.com, 26 Sep. 2019 Schnakers said part of the challenge is finding patients to participate in their experiments, even though California has about 125 subacute units housing more than 4,000 people on life support. Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2019 Mandelman also supports more psych beds and more subacute treatment facilities for people well enough to leave psychiatric wards but who need additional care. Heather Knight, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 June 2018 Her medical files are an encyclopedia of disorders and side effects: pancreatitis, acute and subacute necrosis of the liver, osteoporosis. Elizabeth Koh And Carol Marbin Miller, miamiherald, 24 May 2018 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'subacute.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1752, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of subacute was in 1752

Cite this Entry

“Subacute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subacute. Accessed 28 May. 2023.

Medical Definition

subacute

adjective
sub·​acute ˌsəb-ə-ˈkyüt How to pronounce subacute (audio)
1
: falling between acute and chronic in character especially when closer to acute
subacute endocarditis
2
: less marked in severity or duration than a corresponding acute state
subacute pain
subacutely adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on subacute

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!