Acute

Acute
Acute A*cute", a. [L. acutus, p. p. of acuere to sharpen, fr. a root ak to be sharp. Cf. {Ague}, {Cute}, {Edge}.] 1. Sharp at the end; ending in a sharp point; pointed; -- opposed to {blunt} or {obtuse}; as, an acute angle; an acute leaf. [1913 Webster]

2. Having nice discernment; perceiving or using minute distinctions; penetrating; clever; shrewd; -- opposed to {dull} or {stupid}; as, an acute observer; acute remarks, or reasoning. [1913 Webster]

3. Having nice or quick sensibility; susceptible to slight impressions; acting keenly on the senses; sharp; keen; intense; as, a man of acute eyesight, hearing, or feeling; acute pain or pleasure. [1913 Webster]

4. High, or shrill, in respect to some other sound; -- opposed to {grave} or {low}; as, an acute tone or accent. [1913 Webster]

5. (Med.) Attended with symptoms of some degree of severity, and coming speedily to a crisis; -- opposed to {chronic}; as, an acute disease. [1913 Webster]

{Acute angle} (Geom.), an angle less than a right angle. [1913 Webster]

Syn: Subtile; ingenious; sharp; keen; penetrating; sagacious; sharp-witted; shrewd; discerning; discriminating. See {Subtile}. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат
Synonyms:
, , , / , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , / , , , , , , , , / , , / , , , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Acute — may refer to: * Acute angle * Acute accent * Acute (medicine) * Acute (phonetic) * Acute (programming language) * The Acute a band …   Wikipedia

  • acute — [ə kyo͞ot′] adj. [L acutus, pp. of acuere, sharpen: see ACUMEN] 1. having a sharp point 2. keen or quick of mind; shrewd 3. sensitive to impressions [acute hearing] 4. severe and sharp, as pain, jealousy, etc. 5. severe but of s …   English World dictionary

  • acute — 1 *sharp, keen Analogous words: *incisive, trenchant, cutting: penetrating, piercing (see ENTER) Antonyms: obtuse Contrasted words: *dull, blunt: *stupid, slow, dull, crass, dense …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • acute — UK US /əˈkjuːt/ adjective ► if a bad situation is acute, it causes severe problems or damage: »The problem is particularly acute for small businesses. »an acute conflict/crisis/need …   Financial and business terms

  • acute — acute; acute·ness; per·acute; sub·acute; …   English syllables

  • acute — [adj1] deeply perceptive astute, canny, clever, discerning, discriminating, incisive, ingenious, insightful, intense, intuitive, judicious, keen, observant, penetrating, perspicacious, piercing, quick witted, sensitive, sharp, smart, subtle;… …   New thesaurus

  • Acute — A*cute , v. t. To give an acute sound to; as, he acutes his rising inflection too much. [R.] Walker. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • acute — I adjective acer, acuminate, acutus, alert, apt, astute, aware, clear sighted, critical, crucial, cutting, discerning, fine, foreseeing, intense, intuitive, keen, keenly sensitive, knowledgeable, penetrating, perceptive, perspicacious, perspicax …   Law dictionary

  • acute — (adj.) late 14c., originally of fevers and diseases, coming and going quickly (opposed to a chronic), from L. acutus sharp, pointed, figuratively shrill, penetrating; intelligent, cunning, pp. of acuere sharpen (see ACUITY (Cf. acuity)). Meaning… …   Etymology dictionary

  • acute — ► ADJECTIVE 1) (of something bad) critical; serious. 2) (of an illness) coming sharply to a crisis. Often contrasted with CHRONIC(Cf. ↑chronicity). 3) perceptive; shrewd. 4) (of a physical sense or faculty) highly developed. 5) (of an angle) less …   English terms dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”