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 Belugas are beautiful, mystical creatures; anyone proximate to them would feel their loss acutely. — Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026 This discontent stems from rising housing prices and is felt particularly acutely in major cities. — Pau Mosquera, CNN Money, 27 Sep. 2026 Various events bring together factions of a fashion industry that is acutely aware of the vastness of its environmental footprint and how little is being done to mitigate it. — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026 However, since the start of the year, India is seeing a fall in sales of smartphones, acutely in the entry-level devices where prices have risen sharply. — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026 But perhaps no one feels its expected passage in the Senate as acutely, or as personally, as Peter Mills. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 24 Sep. 2026 Christiansen is acutely aware that a lecture about soil health may not be the thing that pulls somebody in. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 19 Sep. 2026 Governments around the world are acutely aware of the problems that higher oil and gas prices are causing, especially as temperatures drop and demand for heating oil is set to spike. — Jason Abbruzzese, NBC news, 18 Sep. 2026 The apocalyptic fears boiling up in the play are perhaps even more acutely felt today, with the ravages of climate change compounding each year and the threat of AI hanging an existential cloud over our heads. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for acutely

Adverb

Royal is also keenly aware of the significance of her AGT victory beyond her own career.

— Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 24 Sep. 2026
Bimobil The vehicle base in this case was a pristine, deep-red Land Cruiser cab-chassis that exemplifies Bimobil's unflappable travel-anywhere spirit just as keenly as the brand's own expedition camping modules.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of keenly

Adverb

Black adults develop hypertension earlier and more severely than white adults; Latino communities face similar risks and barriers to diagnosis.

— Garth Walker, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026
Two years after releasing that song, in 1982, Joel was involved in a motorcycle crash that severely damaged his hand.

— Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of severely

Adverb

Charlottesville has become more Democratic, while rural areas have moved sharply toward Republicans.

— Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026
Once the company and its shareholders become accustomed to such a financial boost, an environment where individual guest spending sharply increases even when domestic park attendance is soft or steady, there’s likely no turning back.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of sharply

Adverb

The comparisons between that movie and Elsinore, what with all the Hamlet being performed and poignantly referring back to our characters’ circumstances, have been impossible to ignore.

— Joe Reid, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
That’s a process that can help clarify thoughts, but knowing that no one was behind the dialogue, that the empathy was a technique and not a presence, left me with a sense of being poignantly unheard.

— Steven Barrie-Anthony, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of poignantly

Adverb

Some are condemned swiftly and harshly, others are shrugged off almost entirely.

— Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Meta has been judged harshly for spending billions of dollars on AI without becoming a leader in the technology, so Muse’s popularity surprised some, according to Jefferies senior analyst Brent Thill.

— Ella Chakarian, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of harshly

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 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of acutely

adverb

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