Definitions for: Acute


[n] a mark (') placed above a vowel to indicate pronunciation
[adj] (medicine) having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course; "acute appendicitis"; "the acute phase of the illness"; "acute patients"
[adj] of critical importance and consequence; "an acute (or critical) lack of research funds"
[adj] extremely sharp or intense; "acute pain"; "felt acute annoyance"; "intense itching and burning"
[adj] having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions; "an acute observer of politics and politicians"; "incisive comments"; "icy knifelike reasoning"; "as sharp and incisive as the stroke of a fang"; "penetrating insight"; "frequent penetrative observations"
[adj] ending in a sharp point
[adj] of an angle; less than 90 degrees



Webster (1913) Definition: 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.

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.

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.

4. High, or shrill, in respect to some other sound; --
opposed to grave or low; as, an acute tone or accent.

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

Acute angle (Geom.), an angle less than a right angle.

Syn: Subtile; ingenious; sharp; keen; penetrating; sagacious;
sharp-witted; shrewd; discerning; discriminating. See
Subtile.


A*cute", v. t.
To give an acute sound to; as, he acutes his rising
inflection too much. [R.] --Walker.

Synonyms: acuate, acute accent, ague, critical, discriminating, incisive, intense, keen, knifelike, penetrating, penetrative, perceptive, piercing, pointed, sharp, subacute

Antonyms: chronic, obtuse

See Also: accent, accent mark

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