sharp or severe in effect; intense

acute sorrow; an acute pain.

extremely great or serious; crucial; critical

an acute shortage of oil.

(of disease) brief and severe ( opposed to chronic ).

sharp or penetrating in intellect, insight, or perception

an acute observer.

extremely sensitive even to slight details or impressions

acute eyesight.

sharp at the end; ending in a point.

Geometry .

(of an angle) less than 90?.

(of a triangle) containing only acute angles.

consisting of, indicated by, or bearing the mark ?, placed over vowel symbols in some languages to show that the vowels or the syllables they are in are pronounced in a certain way, as in French that the quality of an e so marked is close; in Hungarian that the vowel is long; in Spanish that the marked syllable bears the word accent; in Ibo that it is pronounced with high tones; or in classical Greek, where the mark originated, that the syllable bears the word accent and is pronounced, according to the ancient grammarians, with raised pitch ( opposed to grave )

the acute accent; an acute e.

the acute accent.

adjective

dense , imperceptive , insensitive , obtuse , slow , stupid , not serious , unimportant , blunt , dull

adjective

astute , canny , clever , discerning , discriminating , incisive , ingenious , insightful , intense , intuitive , judicious , keen , observant , penetrating , perspicacious , piercing , quick-witted , sensitive , sharp , smart , [[subtlenotes:acute is used for a sudden onset and short duration; chronic is for conditions that are slow to develop and of long durationacute is an angle of less than 90 degrees; obtuse is one of more than 90 degreeschronic is contrasted with acute as chronic pain persists over a longer period of time than acute pain and is resistant to most medical treatments]] , afflictive , critical , crucial , dangerous , decisive , desperate , dire , essential , grave , serious , severe , sudden , urgent , [[vitalnotes:acute is used for a sudden onset and short duration; chronic is for conditions that are slow to develop and of long durationacute is an angle of less than 90 degrees; obtuse is one of more than 90 degreeschronic is contrasted with acute as chronic pain persists over a longer period of time than acute pain and is resistant to most medical treatments]] , cutting , distressing , excruciating , exquisite , fierce , overpowering , overwhelming , poignant , powerful , racking , shooting , stabbing , [[violentnotes:acute is used for a sudden onset and short duration; chronic is for conditions that are slow to develop and of long durationacute is an angle of less than 90 degrees; obtuse is one of more than 90 degreeschronic is contrasted with acute as chronic pain persists over a longer period of time than acute pain and is resistant to most medical treatments]] , acicular , aciculate , acuminate , acuminous , cuspate , cuspidate , knifelike , needle-shaped , peaked , piked , pointed , sharpened , [[spikednotes:acute is used for a sudden onset and short duration; chronic is for conditions that are slow to develop and of long durationacute is an angle of less than 90 degrees; obtuse is one of more than 90 degreeschronic is contrasted with acute as chronic pain persists over a longer period of time than acute pain and is resistant to most medical treatments]] , aciculated , cuspated , cuspidated , mucronate , pointy , perceptive , probing , trenchant , climacteric , gnawing , lancinating , high-pitched , piping , shrieky , shrill , shrilly , treble , exigent , extreme , immediate , intelligent , penetrative , quick , shrewd , subtle , trying , weighty