acute

1 able to sense slight impressions or differences dogs, with their acute sense of smell, are used for finding toxic substances undetectable by humans Synonyms of acute delicate, fine, keen, perceptive, quick, sensitive, sharp Words Related to acute accurate, clear, discerning, good, piercing, precise, receptive, sensible, subtle; hair-trigger, hyperacute, hypersensitive, oversensitive, supersensitive Near Antonyms of acute bad, deadened, dimmed, dull, dulled, fading; dead, imperceptive, insensible, insensitive, numb; imprecise, inaccurate

2 needing immediate attention famine caused by an acute shortage of grain Synonyms of acute burning, clamant, compelling, critical, crying, dire, emergent, exigent, imperative, imperious, importunate, instant, necessitous, pressing, urgent Words Related to acute demanding, extreme, immediate, insistent, intense, overriding; crucial, desperate, grave, life-and-death (also life-or-death), serious, severe, vital; dangerous, explosive, hazardous, perilous, precarious, unstable Near Antonyms of acute incidental, low-pressure, minor, negligible, trivial, unimportant; nonthreatening, safe, stable Antonyms of acute noncritical, nonurgent

3 extreme in degree, power, or effect experiencing acute distress over the misunderstanding with her best friend Synonyms of acute intense, almighty, blistering, deep, dreadful, excruciating, explosive, exquisite, fearful, fearsome, ferocious, fierce, frightful, furious, ghastly, hard, heavy, heavy-duty, hellacious, intensive, keen, profound, terrible, vehement, vicious, violentWords Related to acute accentuated, aggravated, concentrated, deepened; emphasized, enhanced, heightened, intensified, magnified; stressed; exhaustive, thorough; harsh, rigorous, severeNear Antonyms of acute feeble, weak; shallow, superficial; moderated, qualified; alleviated, eased, lightened, toned (down); abated, decreased, diminished, lessened, reduced, subduedAntonyms of acute light, moderate, soft