acute meaning and definition

ACUTE noun

Definition of acute (noun)

1. a mark (') placed above a vowel to indicate pronunciation
   • synonyms: acute accent, ague

ACUTE adjective

Definition of acute (adjective)

1. having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course
   • "acute appendicitis"; "the acute phase of the illness"; "acute patients"
   • antonym: chronic
2. extremely sharp or intense
   • "acute pain"; "felt acute annoyance"; "intense itching and burning"
   • synonyms: intense
3. having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
   • "an acute observer of politics and politicians"; "incisive comments"; "icy knifelike reasoning"; "as sharp and incisive as the stroke of a fang"; "penetrating insight"; "frequent penetrative observations"
   • synonyms: discriminating, incisive, keen, knifelike, penetrating, penetrative, piercing, sharp
4. of an angle; less than 90 degrees
   • antonym: obtuse
5. ending in a sharp point
   • synonyms: acuate, needlelike, sharp
6. of critical importance and consequence
   • "an acute (or critical) lack of research funds"