acute (əˈkjuːt
)
Definitions
adjective
- penetrating in perception or insight
- sensitive to details; keen
- of extreme importance; crucial
- sharp or severe; intense ⇒
acute pain
an acute drought
- having a sharp end or point
- mathematics
- (of an angle) less than 90°
- (of a triangle) having all its interior angles less than 90°
- (of a disease)
- arising suddenly and manifesting intense severity
- of relatively short duration Compare chronic (sense 2)
- phonetics
- (of a vowel or syllable in some languages with a pitch accent, such as ancient Greek) spoken or sung on a higher musical pitch relative to neighbouring syllables or vowels
- of or relating to an accent (´) placed over vowels, denoting that the vowel is pronounced with higher musical pitch (as in ancient Greek), with a certain special quality (as in French), etc Compare (for senses 8a, 8b)
grave circumflex
- (of a hospital, hospital bed, or ward) intended to accommodate short-term patients with acute illnesses
noun
- an acute accent
Alternative Forms
aˈcutely adverb aˈcuteness nounWord Origin
C14: from Latin acūtus, past participle of acuere to sharpen, from acus needleSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
serious,
important,
dangerous,
critical,
crucial,
alarming,
severe,
grave,
sudden,
urgent,
decisive,
=
sharp,
shooting,
powerful,
violent,
severe,
intense,
overwhelming,
distressing,
stabbing,
cutting,
fierce,
piercing,
racking,
exquisite,
poignant,
harrowing,
overpowering,
shrill,
excruciating,
Usage examples
To sit on the sofa which was comfortable for Liz, he had to- have his knees at an awkward acute angle.
, Death and Transfiguration (1994)But for children aged 2-6 years (with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia) the concordance rate is considerably lower, around 5 %.
British Medical Journal (2002)The book has a section on assessing your back problem and checklists for consulting your doctor for acute and chronic back pain.
Irish Times (2002)Gartnavel General is the only relatively modern adult acute hospital in the city.
Glasgow Herald (2002)For convenience shops the study found that the damage was even more acute.
, SHOPPED: The Shocking Power of British Supermarkets (2004)