acute Definition
acute (ə kyo̵̅o̅t′)
adjective
- having a sharp point
- keen or quick of mind; shrewd
- sensitive to impressions acute hearing
- severe and sharp, as pain, jealousy, etc.
- severe but of short duration; not chronic: said of some diseases
- very serious; critical; crucial an acute shortage of workers
- shrill; high in pitch
- of less than 90 degrees an acute angle
- intensive (sense )
Etymology: L acutus, pp. of acuere, sharpen: see acumen
acute Related Forms
acute Synonyms
acute
modif.
Pointed
Crucial
critical, crucial, decisive, severe, serious, grave, dangerous, important, vital, intense, pressing, urgent, desperate, dire, drastic; see also crucial.Shrewd
clever, astute, penetrating; see intelligent 1, judicious.Sharp
Discerning
discriminating, penetrating, sensitive, perceptive, keen, sharp; see also observant 1.
acute suggests severe intensification of a condition that is sharply approaching a climax an acute shortage of workers; critical is applied to a crisis or a turning point that will decisively determine an outcome the situation was critical; a critical point in the negotiations; crucial comes into contrast with critical where a trial determining a course of action rather than a decisive turning point is involved a crucial debate on foreign policy See also syn. study at sharp.
acute Usage Examples
Modifying Another Word
- particularly: The problem is particularly acute in East Anglia, where many people have to wait months for NHS treatment.
- especially: In many states is especially acute much money you'll sales stage in.
- so: But, equally, never have the reasons for concluding the protocol been so acute.
- however: Chronic renal failure is amenable to dietary modification however acute is not.
- extremely: Oral steroids are sometimes prescribed for extremely acute flare ups, in which case careful monitoring for side-effects must be ensured.
- very: But Truscott can be very acute in spite of these weaknesses.
Adjective complement with noun phrase
make: The arrival of the Pension Credit makes the problem even more acute.
Modifies a noun
- leukemia: Events were 1 early death, 8 tumor failures, and 1 secondary acute myeloid leukemia.
- infarction: Case Study A patient was admitted with an acute inferior myocardial infarction.
- leukemia: We heard the news that I had acute lymphoblastic leukemia on 24 December 2003.
- pancreatitis: Approximately 2 in every 100,000 people in the UK have acute pancreatitis every year.
- shortage: In some areas there is an acute shortage of labor.
- syndrome: Withdrawal of statins increases event rates in patients with acute coronary syndromes.
Used with adjective complement
- become: These problems became acute during the Second World War.
- grow: And after the Congress this divergence grew ever more acute.
- remain: His observations remained as acute as ever, but were now delivered with worldly wisdom rather than drum-beating evangelism.
- get: As her questions get more acute, Kort begins to tell her the whole truth.
- follow: These aspects of DNA damage and repair following acute UV irradiation are discussed further in this section.
Preposition: in
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