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Adjective: acute (acuter,acutest)  u'kyoot
  1. Of critical importance and consequence
    "an acute (or critical) lack of research funds"
     
  2. Extremely sharp or strongly felt
    "acute pain"; "felt acute annoyance";
    - intense
     
  3. Having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
    "an acute observer of politics and politicians";
    - discriminating, incisive, keen, knifelike, penetrating, penetrative, piercing, sharp
     
  4. Ending in a piercing point; pointed
    - acuate, sharp, needlelike
     
  5. (medicine) having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course
    "acute appendicitis"; "the acute phase of the illness"; "acute patients"
     
  6. Of an angle; less than 90 degrees
Noun: acute  u'kyoot
  1. A mark placed above a vowel to indicate pronunciation
    - acute accent, ague

Derived forms: acutes, acutest, acuter

See also: critical, perceptive, pointed, sharp, subacute

Type of: accent, accent mark

Antonym: chronic, obtuse

Encyclopedia: Acute