sharp

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

adj. cutting (see sharpness); distinct, well-defined; abrupt, angular; pungent, penetrating; acute, keen; alert, smart, quick; elegant, smart. See visibility, pungency, wit, elegance. Ant., dull. —n. needle (see sharpness); sharper, con man, shark; informal, expert, ace. See skill, deception.

II

(Roget's IV) modif.

1. [Having a keen edge]

Syn. acute, edged, keen, keen-edged, razor-edged, sharpened, ground fine, honed, honed to razor sharpness, razor-sharp, sharp-edged, fine, cutting, knifelike, knife-edged.

Ant. dull*, unsharpened, blunt.

2. [Having a keen point]

Syn. pointed, keen, sharp-pointed, spiked, spiky, peaked, needle-pointed, keen, fine, salient, spiny, thorny, prickly, barbed, needlelike, briery, stinging, sharp as a needle, pronged, tapered, tapering, horned, unguiculate, acuate, acuminate, aculeate, muricate, aciculate, aciculated, aciculiform.

3. [Having a keen mind]

Syn. clever, astute, bright; see intelligent 1 .

4. [Having the ability to wound with words]

Syn. caustic, biting, acrimonious; see sarcastic .

5. [Not quite honest or honorable]

Syn. crafty, designing, underhand; see sly 1 .

6. [Distinct]

Syn. audible, visible, explicit; see clear 2 , definite 2 , obvious 1 .

7. [Vigilant]

Syn. attentive, watchful, close; see observant 1 , 2 .

8. [Intense]

Syn. cutting, biting, piercing; see intense .

9. [Vigorous]

Syn. brisk, energetic, lively; see active 2 .

10. [*Excellent]

Syn. fine, distinctive, first-class; see excellent .

11. [*Stylish]

Syn. dressy, chic, in style; see fashionable .

Syn.- sharp and keen both apply to that which is cutting, biting, incisive, or piercing, as because of a fine edge, but sharp more often implies a harsh cutting quality [ a sharp pain, tongue, flavor, etc. ] and keen often suggests a pleasantly biting or stimuLating quality [keen wit, delight, etc. ] or a marked enthusiasm or intensity [ a keen student ] ; acute literally implies sharp-pointedness and figuratively suggests a penetrating or poignant quality [acute hearing, distress, etc. ] and often connotes suddenness and severity [ an acute heart attack ]

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) a.

1. honed fine-edged, cutting, razor-sharp, knife-edge, acute, keen-edged, piercing, pointed, pronged, barbed, peaked.

2. abrupt sudden, quick, rapid, precipitous, extreme.

3. clear clearly defined, distinct, crisp, in focus.

4. smart quick, acute, perceptive, bright, astute, *on the ball, attentive, keen, discerning, alert, canny, shrewd, clever, sensitive.

5. crafty underhanded, deceitful, cunning, designing, shrewd, wily, conniving.

6. severe intense, acute, violent, fierce, stabbing, piercing, biting.

7. Sl. well-dressed well-groomed, chic, stylish, dapper, debonair, swank, *snappy.

ANT.: 1. dull, blunted. 2. gradual, slow. 3. hazy, ill-defined. 4. stupid, slow, dense. 5. honest, artless. 6. mild, gentle, subtle. 7. disheveled, frumpy, sloppy

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) adjective 1. Having a fine edge, as for cutting: keen1. See SHARP. 2. Having an end that tapers to a point: acicular, aciculate, aciculated, acuminate, acute, cuspate, cuspated, cuspidate, cuspidated, mucronate, pointed, pointy. See SHARP. 3. Clearly defined; not ambiguous: clear, distinct, unambiguous, unequivocal, unmistakable. See CLEAR. 4. Mentally quick and original: alert, bright, clever, intelligent, keen1, quick, quick-witted, sharp-witted, smart. Idiom: smart as a whip. See ABILITY. 5. Possessing or displaying perceptions of great accuracy and sensitivity: acute, incisive, keen1, penetrating, perceptive, probing, sensitive, trenchant. See CAREFUL, SHARP. 6. Deceitfully clever: artful, crafty, cunning, foxy, guileful, scheming, sly, tricky, wily. See ABILITY, HONEST, MEANS. 7. So sharp as tO cause mental pain: acerbic, acid, acidic, acrid, astringent, biting, caustic, corrosive, cutting, mordacious, mordant, pungent, scathing, slashing, stinging, trenchant, truculent, vitriolic. See ATTACK, RESPECT. 8. Marked by severity or intensity: acute, gnawing, knifelike, lancinating, piercing, shooting, stabbing. See BIG. 9. Affecting the organs of taste or smell with a strong and often harsh sensation: piquant, pungent, spicy, zesty. Archaic: poignant. See SMELLS, TASTE. 10. Informal. Being or in accordance with the current fashion: à la mode, chic, dashing, fashionable, mod, modish, posh, smart, stylish, swank, swanky, trig. Informal: classy, in, snappy, swish, tony, trendy. Slang: with-it. Idioms: all the rage, up to the minute. See STYLE, USUAL.