acute

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

adj. shrewd, discerning, astute; sharp, poignant, keen, pointed, severe. See intelligence, cunning, sharpness.

Ant., dull, chronic.

II

(Roget's IV) modif.

1. [Pointed]

Syn. sharp-pointed, spiked, keen; see sharp 2 .

2. [Crucial]

Syn. critical, crucial, decisive, severe, serious, grave, dangerous, important, vital, intense, pressing, urgent, desperate, dire, drastic; see also crucial .

3. [Shrewd]

Syn. clever, astute, penetrating; see intelligent 1 , judicious .

4. [Sharp]

Syn. severe, keen, cutting; see intense , painful 1 .

5. [Discerning]

Syn. discriminating, penetrating, sensitive, perceptive, keen, sharp; see also observant 1 .

Syn.- acute suggests severe intensification of a condition that is sharply approaching a climax [ an acute shortage of workers ] ; critical is applied to a crisis or a turning point that will decisively determine an outcome [ the situation was critical ; a critical point in the negotiations ] ; crucial comes into contrast with critical where a trial determining a course of action rather than a decisive turning point is involved [ a crucial debate on foreign policy ] See also Synonym Study at sharp .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) a.

1. sharp pointed, needle-like.

2. keen sharp, shrewd, quick, smart, astute, perceptive, bright, discerning.

3. sensitive receptive, responsive, perceptive.

4. severe serious, critical, crucial, vital, important, grave, momentous, urgent, dangerous, intense.

5. shrill high, piercing.

ANT.: 1. dull, blunt. 2. dull, obtuse, slow, stupid. 3. insensitive, imperceptive. 4. mild, unimportant, insignificant. 5. low, bass

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) adjective 1. Having an end that tapers to a point: acicular, aciculate, aciculated, acuminate, cuspate, cuspated, cuspidate, cuspidated, mucronate, pointed, pointy, sharp. See SHARP. 2. Possessing or displaying perceptions of great accuracy and sensitivity: incisive, keen1, penetrating, perceptive, probing, sensitive, sharp, trenchant. See CAREFUL, SHARP. 3. So serious as to be at the point of crisis or necessary to resolve a crisis: climacteric, critical, crucial, desperate, dire. See SAFETY. 4. Marked by severity or intensity: gnawing, knifelike, lancinating, piercing, sharp, shooting, stabbing. See BIG. 5. Music. Elevated in pitch: high, high-pitched, piercing, piping, shrieky, shrill, shrilly, treble. See HIGH, SOUNDS.