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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective acute contrast with its synonyms?

The words keen and sharp are common synonyms of acute. While all three words mean "having or showing alert competence and clear understanding," acute implies a power to penetrate and may suggest subtlety and sharpness of discrimination.

an acute sense of style

In what contexts can keen take the place of acute?

The synonyms keen and acute are sometimes interchangeable, but keen suggests quickness, enthusiasm, and a penetrating mind.

a keen observer of the political scene

When could sharp be used to replace acute?

While in some cases nearly identical to acute, sharp implies quick perception, clever resourcefulness, or sometimes questionable trickiness.

sharp enough to spot a confidence game

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of acute Masterfully executing this vision with acute attention to every detail was a team of talent, including Designer Michael Layne, Interior Designers Patty McDonald and Marcia Moore, and Builder Paul Conrado. Monica Lander, Mercury News, 30 May 2025 As of mid-May, 470,000 people there face catastrophic hunger, and the entire population is experiencing acute food insecurity, according to WFP. Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 29 May 2025 His official cause of death was acute hypoxic respiratory failure, which is a condition where the lungs aren't able to release enough oxygen into the bloodstream. Keith Langston, People.com, 25 May 2025 Intensity in relationships involves seeking out acute, high-stimulation feelings that often stem from fear, anxiety or a desire to escape emotional numbness, not from genuine connection. Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for acute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for acute
Adjective
  • Amino acids are more easily absorbed than proteins and do not damage the intestinal environment, which means even those with sensitive digestions can take them.
    MISAKI KAWATSU, Vogue, 10 June 2025
  • This principle, applied across all workloads, is instrumental for reducing the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive data.
    Ben Blanquera, Forbes.com, 10 June 2025
Adjective
  • Arsenal’s reticence to spend on development players is understandable — particularly in the case of last January, when there was also an urgent need for a first-team centre-forward.
    James McNicholas, New York Times, 6 June 2025
  • The appeals court said there is no urgent need for DOGE to access Social Security records in the interim.
    Nina Totenberg, NPR, 6 June 2025
Adjective
  • The faction's power grew with the shocking debut of Jacob Fatu, another member of the Anoa'i family known for his intense and destructive style in other promotions.
    Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
  • Recognizing that gulf is a sad thing for her, and Huston holds Anderson’s intense close-ups with an expression both loving and rueful at once. 40.
    Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 June 2025
Adjective
  • According to insiders, Ahuja still believes in Rothman and wasn’t keen on a big shake-up, not when the studio has momentum, is profitable and is about to undertake the ambitious and risky move of releasing all four of Sam Mendes’ Beatles films in April 2028.
    Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2025
  • If her body isn’t always willing, her mind and her heart are still keen on the sport, so Press makes her most valuable contributions now in the quiet of the locker room.
    Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2025
Adjective
  • University of Southern California LOS ANGELES Inspired by Walt Disney artist and Imagineer John C. Hench, USC’s intensive BFA and MFA programs teach animation from a maker’s point of view.
    Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 6 June 2025
  • Russia used a Tu-160 in intensive overnight missile and drone strikes across Ukraine, Kyiv's air force said on Friday.
    Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
Adjective
  • Most of the garage lights on our list include power cords to plug them into an outlet, making installation quick and easy.
    Molly Blanco, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 June 2025
  • The original rat killer Published April 25, 2007 With one quick flick of his wrist, Scott Mellanby felled a rodent and became part of South Florida sports lore.
    Jeff Kleinman, Miami Herald, 3 June 2025
Adjective
  • Sanders’s Senate counterpart, Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT), is a fierce Trump critic.
    David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 13 June 2025
  • Meta’s big bet on Wang fits into CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s plans to bolster his company’s AI efforts amid fierce competition from OpenAI and Google-parent Alphabet.
    Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 13 June 2025
Adjective
  • President Donald Trump’s turbulent tariff policy is projected to cause a sharper slowdown in economic growth in the United States and around the world than previously expected, the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) found in a Tuesday report.
    Solcyré Burga, Time, 3 June 2025
  • Still, some of the sharpest pullbacks in job postings were also in leisure and hospitality, with declines at restaurants, hotels, as well as other service-providing businesses.
    Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 3 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Acute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acute. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

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