sharpness

1 a harsh or sharp quality he found that the bland crackers helped cut the sharpness of the cheese Synonyms acerbity, acidity, acidness, acridity, acridness, acrimoniousness, acrimony, acuteness, asperity, bite, bitterness, harshness, keenness, poignance, poignancy, pungency, roughness, edge, tartnessRelated Words ginger, punch, spice, tang; raucousness, severeness, severity, shrillness, virulence, vitriol; cattiness, maliciousness; pointedness, thorninessNear Antonyms gentleness, kindlinessAntonyms mildness, softness

2 an uncomfortable degree of coolness dress warmly; there's a bit of sharpness in the air today Synonyms bite, bitterness, bleakness, chilliness, nip, nippiness, rawness, chillRelated Words briskness, crispness; coldness, frigidity, frigidness, frostiness, gelidity, iciness, wintriness; cold, freeze, snapNear Antonyms balminess, warmness, warmth; heat, hotness, sultriness

3 exceptional discernment and judgment especially in practical matters possesses a political sharpness that most campaign managers would envy Synonyms astuteness, caginess (also cageyness), canniness, clear-sightedness, foxiness, hardheadedness, intelligence, keenness, knowingness, acumen, shrewdness, witRelated Words discernment, insight, perception, perceptiveness, perceptivity, percipience, sagaciousness, sagacity, sageness, sapience, wisdom; artfulness, artifice, craft, craftiness, cunning, deviousness, guile, slickness, slyness, sneakiness, subtleness, subtlety, wiliness; brain(s), gray matter, intellect, reason, senseNear Antonyms artlessness, greenness, guilelessness, ingenuousness, innocence, naiveness, naïveté (also naivete or naiveté), simplemindedness, simpleness, simplicity, unsophistication, unworldliness; brainlessness, density, doltishness, dopiness, dumbness, fatuity, foolishness, half-wittedness, mindlessness, oafishness, obtuseness, senselessness, slowness, stupidity, stupidness, vacuity, witlessness

4 the state or quality of being able to sense slight impressions or differences possesses the proverbial sharpness of an eagle's eye Synonyms acuteness, delicacy, keenness, perceptiveness, perceptivity, sensitiveness, sensitivity, acuityRelated Words hyperacuity, hypersensitiveness, hypersensitivity, oversensitiveness, oversensitivity, supersensitivity; accuracy, exactitude, exactness, fineness