acute

Meaning

Adj

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

Noun

1. (informal) A person who has the acute form of a disorder, such as schizophrenia.
2. (historical) An accent or tone higher than others.
3. An acute accent (´).

Verb

1. (transitive) To give an acute sound to.
2. (archaic, transitive) To make acute; to sharpen, to whet.

Opposite of

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

Synonyms

sharp

keen

poignant

acrimonious

acrid

waspish

lurid

severe

intense

pointed

piercing

shrewd

clever

smart

serious

racy

penetrating

astute

incisive

shrill

harsh

trenchant

ague

radical

knifelike

perceptive

nasty

penetrative

acuate

pungent

urgent

‼️

intensive

acute accent

acerbic

instantaneous

sudden

earnest

bright

alert

bitter

pressing

cuspidal

acidulous

sensitive

sharpened

critical

‼️

abrupt

cordial

cuspidate

compelling

Translations

agudo

acuto

agut

agudo

aigu

scherp

scharf

schel

heftig

punxegut

penetrante

fel

appuntito

aguzzo

Pronounced as (IPA)

/əˈkjuːt/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: acute

Cognate with Middle English: acūte

In summary

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”).