acute

Meanings

• a mark (') placed above a vowel to indicate pronunciation
• having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course
  • "acute appendicitis"
  • "the acute phase of the illness"
  • "acute patients"
• extremely sharp or intense
  • "acute pain"
  • "felt acute annoyance"
• having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
  • "an acute observer of politics and politicians"
• of an angle; less than 90 degrees
• ending in a sharp point
• of critical importance and consequence
  • "an acute (or critical) lack of research funds"

Synonyms

acuate, acute accent, ague, discriminating, incisive, intense, keen, knifelike, needlelike, penetrating, penetrative, piercing, sharp