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 delicate, fine, keen, perceptive, quick, sensitive, sharp Related Words accurate, clear, discerning, good, piercing, precise, receptive, sensible, subtle; hair-trigger, hyperacute, hypersensitive, oversensitive, supersensitive Near Antonyms 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 burning, clamant, compelling, critical, crying, dire, emergent, exigent, imperative, imperious, importunate, instant, necessitous, pressing, urgent Related Words 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 incidental, low-pressure, minor, negligible, trivial, unimportant; nonthreatening, safe, stable Antonyms noncritical, nonurgent

3 extreme in degree, power, or effect experiencing acute distress over the misunderstanding with her best friend Synonyms 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, violentRelated Words accentuated, aggravated, concentrated, deepened; emphasized, enhanced, heightened, intensified, magnified; stressed; exhaustive, thorough; harsh, rigorous, severeNear Antonyms feeble, weak; shallow, superficial; moderated, qualified; alleviated, eased, lightened, toned (down); abated, decreased, diminished, lessened, reduced, subduedAntonyms light, moderate, soft