ACUTELY Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

acutely

adverb

Definition of acutely

as in keenly

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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 acutely And survey data show the pressure of health care costs is acutely affecting workers who get coverage from their jobs. — Bob Herman, STAT, 29 Oct. 2026 On Thursday, Long Beach was most acutely affected and has been a main area of concern for weeks, Black said. — Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026 The pain has been felt most acutely in the riskier credits with high-yield spreads rising about 70 basis points since late September. — Justin Zacks, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026 The new record reveals a deep reverence for an acutely lyrical branch of Atlanta rap. — Narsimha Gour Chintaluri, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026 According to Ruidoso firefighters, the effect was acutely felt during chaotic situations. — Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026 The latter perhaps most acutely reflected such dominant motifs in Gibson’s midcareer work as female figures, birds, and metaphysical reflectors. — The Editors Of Artnews, ARTnews.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Professionals are feeling it most acutely, and not because there’s a shortage of jobs. — Owen Humphries, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026 Best known as a carcinogenic byproduct of cooking starchy food and burning tobacco, acrylamide can be acutely toxic in high doses. — Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for acutely

Adverb

And many consumers are keenly aware of investors behind businesses.

— Andrew Zucker, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2026
Capturing the magic of young love where the connection between you seems to create your own special world, Givry’s film is keenly observed and a promising sign of hopefully more films to come.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of keenly

Adverb

Fetal personhood would also likely eliminate, or at a minimum severely restrict, people who seek to start a family using surrogacy and in vitro fertilization.

— Jim Defede, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2026
Torosian had told the prosecutor’s office that an undernourished, severely disabled girl who was receiving treatment at BioMed was subsisting entirely on spinach—on Kotthaus’s orders.

— D. T. Max, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of severely

Adverb

The charges have been sharply reduced since May and many residents have been seeing a credit on their monthly bills as the public benefits charges have been temporarily eliminated.

— Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 28 Oct. 2026
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has sharply criticized the diesel deal.

— Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of sharply

Adverb

Fans can expect old songs that are poignantly relevant again 30-some years after they were written — songs that highlight ongoing concerns with equal rights, politics and progressivism.

— Courtney Devores, Charlotte Observer, 16 Oct. 2026
The play’s tension, gently but poignantly unspooled, develops from the fact that while Ryan has pursued a career onstage, Charlie never did.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of poignantly

Adverb

As money hijacks morality and democracy begins to look like a hoax, Tresnjak’s Broadway-caliber staging contrasts garish spectacle with piercingly intimate scenes between Claire and Anton.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Chef Steven Pham is still simmering his signature Northern Vietnamese-style pho ga, which features a soul-piercingly clear broth, tender poached chicken, rice noodles, and a floating raft of fresh herbs.

— Becky Duffett, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 June 2026

Definition of piercingly

Adverb

The movie’s strongest sequences provide the all-too-rare sensation of truly not being able to believe your eyes, as the film’s most fantastical elements feel distressingly real.

— Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 17 July 2026
The event was halted after an hour due to fears about her safety, which distressingly encapsulates a tension that the trans Mayan artist has navigated for years.

— Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 14 June 2026

Definition of distressingly

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“Acutely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/acutely. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of acutely

adverb

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