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acute

Pronunciation:  u'kyoot

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WordNet Dictionary
 
 Definition: 
  1. [n]  a mark (') placed above a vowel to indicate pronunciation
  2. [adj]  (medicine) having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course; "acute appendicitis"; "the acute phase of the illness"; "acute patients"
  3. [adj]  of critical importance and consequence; "an acute (or critical) lack of research funds"
  4. [adj]  extremely sharp or intense; "acute pain"; "felt acute annoyance"; "intense itching and burning"
  5. [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"
  6. [adj]  ending in a sharp point
  7. [adj]  of an angle; less than 90 degrees
 
 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

 

 

Webster's 1913 Dictionary
 
 Definition: 
  1. \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}.


  2. \A*cute"\, v. t.
To give an acute sound to; as, he acutes his rising
inflection too much. [R.] --Walker.
 
Medical Dictionary
 
 Definition: Sudden, brief, and severe. Usually referred to in connection with an illness. Opposite of CHRONIC.
 
Biology Dictionary
 
 Definition: 
  1. Terminating in a distinct but not protracted point, the converging edges separated by an angle less than 90°.
  2. Used to describe a short-term infection or disease which is characterized by dramatic onset and rapid recovery.
 
Thesaurus Terms
 
 Related Terms: absorbing, acanthoid, acanthous, accurate, acicular, acrid, active, acuate, aculeate, aculeiform, acuminate, afflictive, aggravated, aggressive, agonizing, alert, animated, apperceptive, appercipient, arch, argute, artful, astute, atrocious, aware, barbed, biting, brisk, cagey, canny, clamorous, clever, climacteric, cogent, compelling, cornuted, crafty, cramping, creaky, critical, crucial, cruel, crying, cunning, cusped, cuspidate, cute, cutting, dangerous, deceitful, deep, deep-felt, deepgoing, deep-laid, designing, desperate, diplomatic, dire, discerning, discriminating, distressing, double-edged, drastic, dynamic, ear-piercing, edged, energetic, enterprising, enthusiastic, excessive, excruciating, exigent, exorbitant, exquisite, extravagant, extreme, farseeing, farsighted, featheredged, feline, fierce, fine, forceful, forcible, foreseeing, foresighted, forethoughted, forethoughtful, foxy, full of pep, furious, gnawing, go-go, grave, great, griping, guileful, hard, harrowing, harsh, hazardous, heartfelt, hearty, high, high-pressure, high-priority, hispid, homefelt, horned, horny, howling, hurtful, hurting, immoderate, imperative, imperious, impetuous, incisive, indelible, ingenious, insidious, insightful, insistent, instant, intelligent, intemperate, intense, intensified, inventive, keen, keen-edged, keening, kinetic, knifelike, knowing, lively, living, longheaded, longsighted, lusty, Machiavellian, Machiavellic, menacing, meticulous, mettlesome, mucronate, narrow, needle-pointed, needle-sharp, observant, outrageous, painful, paroxysmal, pawky, peaked, peaky, penetrating, peppy, perceptive, percipient, perilous, perspicacious, perspicuous, pervading, piercing, piping, pivotal, poignant, pointed, politic, precarious, precise, pressing, prickly, probing, profound, pronged, provident, pungent, quick-witted, racking, razor-edged, ready, reedy, resourceful, rigorous, robust, rough, sagacious, scheming, screaky, screeching, screechy, sensitive, serious, serpentine, set, severe, shall, sharp, sharp-pointed, sharp-sighted, sharp-witted, shifty, shooting, shrewd, shrieking, shrieky, shrill, slick, slippery, sly, smacking, smooth, snaky, snappy, sneaky, sophistical, spanking, spasmatic, spasmic, spasmodic, spiculate, spiked, spiky, spined, spinous, spiny, spirited, splitting, squeaking, squeaky, stabbing, stealthy, stinging, strategic, strenuous, strong, subtile, subtle, sudden, supple, tactical, take-charge, take-over, tapered, tapering, thin, threatening, tined, tinny, toothed, tormenting, torturous, tough, treble, trenchant, trickish, tricksy, tricky, two-edged, ululant, unbated, unconscionable, understanding, urgent, vehement, venomous, vibrant, vigorous, violent, virulent, vivacious, vivid, vulpine, wailing, wary, whining, whistling, wily, wise, zestful, zesty, zippy
 

 

 

 

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