Acute — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /ə-ˈkyüt/

Meaning & Definition of Acute

Acute (adjective)

  1. characterized by sharpness or severity of sudden onset
  2. of rapid onset and relatively short duration
  3. being, providing, or requiring short-term medical care (as for acute disease or traumatic injury)

Acute (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. able to sense slight impressions or differences

    "dogs, with their acute sense of smell, are used for finding toxic substances undetectable by humans"

    similar: delicate, fine, keen, perceptive, quick, sensitive, sharp
    related: accurate, clear, discerning, good, piercing, precise, receptive, sensible, subtle, hair-trigger, hyperacute, hypersensitive, oversensitive, supersensitive
    near: bad, deadened, dimmed, dull, dulled, fading, dead, imperceptive, insensible, insensitive, numb, imprecise, inaccurate

  2. needing immediate attention

    "famine caused by an acute shortage of grain"

    similar: burning, clamant, compelling, critical, crying, dire, emergent, exigent, imperative, imperious, importunate, instant, necessitous, pressing, urgent
    related: demanding, extreme, immediate, insistent, intense, overriding, crucial, desperate, grave, life-and-death, serious, severe, vital, dangerous, explosive, hazardous, perilous, precarious, unstable
    opposite: noncritical, nonurgent
    near: incidental, low-pressure, minor, negligible, trivial, unimportant, nonthreatening, safe, stable

  3. extreme in degree, power, or effect

    "experiencing acute distress over the misunderstanding with her best friend"

    similar: almighty, blistering, deep, dreadful, excruciating, explosive, exquisite, fearful, fearsome, ferocious, fierce, frightful, furious, ghastly, hard, heavy, heavy-duty, hellacious, intense, intensive, keen, profound, terrible, vehement, vicious, violent
    related: accentuated, aggravated, concentrated, deepened, emphasized, enhanced, heightened, intensified, magnified, stressed, exhaustive, thorough, harsh, rigorous, severe
    opposite: light, moderate, soft
    near: feeble, weak, shallow, superficial, moderated, qualified, alleviated, eased, lightened, toned (down), abated, decreased, diminished, lessened, reduced, subdued

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Acute

The most common words with a similar meaning to Acute:

delicate, fine, keen, perceptive, quick, sensitive, sharp, burning, clamant, compelling, critical, crying, dire, emergent, exigent, imperative, imperious, importunate, instant, necessitous, pressing, urgent, almighty, blistering, deep, dreadful, excruciating, explosive, exquisite, fearful, fearsome, ferocious, fierce, frightful, furious, ghastly, hard, heavy, heavy-duty, hellacious

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Acute

Words with the opposite meaning of Acute:

noncritical, nonurgent, light, moderate, soft

Related Words for Acute

accurate, clear, discerning, good, piercing, precise, receptive, sensible, subtle, hair-trigger, hyperacute, hypersensitive, oversensitive, supersensitive, demanding, extreme, immediate, insistent, overriding, crucial, desperate, grave, life-and-death, serious, severe, vital, dangerous, hazardous, perilous, precarious

Near Antonyms of Acute

bad, deadened, dimmed, dull, dulled, fading, dead, imperceptive, insensible, insensitive, numb, imprecise, inaccurate, incidental, low-pressure, minor, negligible, trivial, unimportant, nonthreatening, safe, stable, feeble, weak, shallow, superficial, moderated, qualified, alleviated, eased

Word Forms of Acute

Inflections: acuter, acutest

Derived words: acutely (adverb), acuteness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Acute

Middle English, borrowed from Latin acūtus "sharpened, pointed, having a violent onset, discerning, less than 90 degrees (of an angle)," from past participle of acuere "to sharpen, rouse, stimulate," probably derived from an otherwise unattested adjective stem acū- "sharp"; akin to acū-, acus "needle," a perhaps independently derived noun; further akin to Old Church Slavic osŭtŭ "thistle," Lithuanian ãšutas "hair of a horse's tail or mane"; all going back to the Indo-European base *h2eḱ- "sharp" edge:1

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Acute

Words & Phrases Containing Acute

acute angle, acute disease, acute flaccid myelitis, acute mountain sickness, acute otitis media, acute respiratory distress syndrome, severe acute respiratory syndrome, hyperacute

Frequently Asked Questions about Acute

What does "Acute" mean?

"Acute" means characterized by sharpness or severity of sudden onset. As an adjective, it is defined as: characterized by sharpness or severity of sudden onset. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Acute"?

Other words for "Acute" include delicate, fine, keen, perceptive, quick, sensitive, sharp and burning. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Acute" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Acute"?

There are 92 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Acute". Common alternatives include delicate, fine, keen, perceptive, quick, sensitive, sharp, burning, clamant and compelling.

What is the opposite of "Acute"?

Antonyms of "Acute" include noncritical, nonurgent, light, moderate and soft. Near antonyms include bad, deadened, dimmed and dull.

How do you use "Acute" in a sentence?

Examples of "Acute" in a sentence: "dogs, with their acute sense of smell, are used for finding toxic substances undetectable by humans"; "famine caused by an acute shortage of grain"; "experiencing acute distress over the misunderstanding with her best friend".

Is "Acute" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Acute" is an adjective.

Is "Acute" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C2-level word, "Acute" is typical of Cambridge C2 Proficiency (CPE), IELTS band 8.5–9.0, TOEFL iBT 114–120, PTE Academic 85–90. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Acute"?

"Acute" is pronounced /ə-ˈkyüt/.