Definition of ACUTE

acute

Plural: acutes

Noun

  • An accent mark (´) placed over a vowel.
  • a mark (') placed above a vowel to indicate pronunciation
  • A person who has the acute form of a disorder, such as schizophrenia.
  • An accent or tone higher than others.
  • An acute accent (´).

Adjective

  • Present or experienced to a severe or intense degree.
  • having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course
    • "acute appendicitis"
    • "the acute phase of the illness"
    • "acute patients"
  • of an angle; less than 90 degrees

Adjective Satellite

  • extremely sharp or intense
    • "acute pain"
    • "felt acute annoyance"
  • having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
    • "an acute observer of politics and politicians"
  • ending in a sharp point
  • of critical importance and consequence
    • "an acute (or critical) lack of research funds"

Adj

  • Brief, quick, short.
  • High or shrill.
  • Intense; sensitive; sharp.
  • Urgent.
  • With the sides meeting directly to form an acute angle (at an apex or base).
  • Less than 90 degrees.
  • Having all three interior angles measuring less than 90 degrees.
  • Of an accent or tone: generally higher than others.
  • Sharp, produced in the front of the mouth. (See Grave and acute on Wikipedia.Wikipedia)
  • Of an abnormal condition of recent or sudden onset, in contrast to delayed onset; this sense does not imply severity, unlike the common usage.
  • Of a short-lived condition, in contrast to a chronic condition; this sense also does not imply severity.
  • Of a letter of the alphabet, having an acute accent.

Verb

  • To give an acute sound to.
  • To make acute; to sharpen, to whet.

Examples

  • an acute accent or tone
  • an acute triangle
  • Eagles have very acute vision.
  • He acutes his rising inflection too much.
  • He dropped dead of an acute illness.
  • He felt an acute sense of panic when he saw his opponent holding the last J.
  • His need for medical attention was acute.
  • It was an acute event.
  • Playing a French word with an acute would be great, if only Scrabble allowed it.
  • She had an acute sense of honour
  • The acute symptoms resolved promptly.
  • The last letter of ‘café’ is ‘e’ acute.
  • The teacher pointed out the acute angle.
  • The word ‘cafe’ often has an acute over the ‘e’.

Origin / Etymology

From Late Middle English acute (“of a disease or fever: starting suddenly and lasting for a short time; of a humour: irritating, sharp”), from Latin acūta, from acūtus (“sharp, sharpened”), perfect passive participle of acuō (“to make pointed, sharpen, whet”), from acus (“needle, pin”). The word is cognate to ague (“acute, intermittent fever”).
As regards the noun, which is derived from the verb, compare Middle English acūte (“severe but short-lived fever; of blood: corrosiveness, sharpness; musical note of high pitch”).

Antonyms

chronic, obtuse, dull, grave, leisurely, obtuse-angled, slow, subacute, witless

Scrabble Score: 7

acute: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
acute: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
acute: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 9

acute: valid Words With Friends Word