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acute

Dictionary definition · acute

noun

  1. a mark placed above a vowel to indicate pronunciation

adjective

  1. having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course"acute appendicitis"
  2. extremely sharp or severe"acute pain"
  3. having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions"an acute observer of politics and politicians"
  4. of an angle; less than 90 degrees
  5. ending in a sharp point
  6. of critical importance and consequence"an acute (or critical) lack of research funds"

Similar words

acute accentagueintensediscriminatingincisivekeenknifelikepenetratingpenetrativepiercing

Source: Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).