Acute vs. Sharp

Acuteadjective

Brief, quick, short.

‘It was an acute event.’;

Sharpadjective

Able to cut easily.

‘I keep my knives sharp so that they don't slip unexpectedly while carving.’;

Acuteadjective

High or shrill.

‘an acute accent or tone’;

Sharpadjective

(colloquial) Intelligent.

‘My nephew is a sharp lad; he can count to 100 in six languages, and he's only five years old.’;

Acuteadjective

Intense, sensitive, sharp.

‘She had an acute sense of honour.’; ‘Eagles have very acute vision.’;

Sharpadjective

Terminating in a point or edge; not obtuse or rounded.

‘Ernest made the pencil too sharp and accidentally stabbed himself with it.’; ‘a sharp hill; a face with sharp features’;

Acuteadjective

Urgent.

‘His need for medical attention was acute.’;

Sharpadjective

(music) Higher than usual by one semitone (denoted by the symbol ♯ after the name of the note).

Acuteadjective

(botany) With the sides meeting directly to form an acute angle (at an apex or base).

Sharpadjective

(music) Higher in pitch than required.

‘The orchestra's third violin several times was sharp about an eighth of a tone.’;

Acuteadjective

(geometry) Of an angle: less than 90 degrees.

Sharpadjective

Having an intense, acrid flavour.

‘Milly couldn't stand sharp cheeses when she was pregnant, because they made her nauseated.’;

Acuteadjective

(geometry) Of a triangle: having all three interior angles measuring less than 90 degrees.

Sharpadjective

Sudden and intense.

‘A pregnant woman during labor normally experiences a number of sharp contractions.’;

Acuteadjective

Of an accent or tone: generally higher than others.

Sharpadjective

(colloquial) Illegal or dishonest.

‘Michael had a number of sharp ventures that he kept off the books.’;

Acuteadjective

(medicine) Of an abnormal condition of recent or sudden onset, in contrast to delayed onset; this sense does not imply severity, unlike the common usage.

‘He dropped dead of an acute illness.’;

Sharpadjective

(colloquial) Keenly or unduly attentive to one's own interests; shrewd.

‘a sharp dealer;’; ‘a sharp customer’;

Acuteadjective

(medicine) Of a short-lived condition, in contrast to a chronic condition; this sense also does not imply severity.

‘The acute symptoms resolved promptly.’;

Sharpadjective

Exact, precise, accurate; keen.

‘You'll need sharp aim to make that shot.’;

Acuteadjective

(orthography) After a letter of the alphabet: having an acute accent.

‘The last letter of ‘café’ is ‘e’ acute.’;

Sharpadjective

Offensive, critical, or acrimonious.

‘sharp criticism’; ‘When the two rivals met, first there were sharp words, and then a fight broke out.’;

Acutenoun

(medicine) A person who has the acute form of a disorder, such as schizophrenia.

Sharpadjective

(colloquial) Stylish or attractive.

‘You look so sharp in that tuxedo!’;

Acutenoun

An accent or tone higher than others.

Sharpadjective

Observant; alert; acute.

‘Keep a sharp watch on the prisoners. I don't want them to escape!’;

Acutenoun

(orthography) An acute accent (´).

‘The word ‘cafe’ often has an acute over the ‘e’.’;

Sharpadjective

Forming a small angle; especially, forming an angle of less than ninety degrees.

‘Drive down Main for three quarters of a mile, then make a sharp right turn onto Pine.’;

Acuteverb

To give an acute sound to.

‘He acutes his rising inflection too much.’;

Sharpadjective

Steep; precipitous; abrupt.

‘a sharp ascent or descent; a sharp turn or curve’;

Acuteverb

To make acute; to sharpen, to whet.

Sharpadjective

Said of as extreme a value as possible.

‘Sure, any planar graph can be five-colored. But that result is not sharp: in fact, any planar graph can be four-colored. That is sharp: the same can't be said for any lower number.’;

Acuteadjective

Sharp at the end; ending in a sharp point; pointed; - opposed to blunt or obtuse; as, an acute angle; an acute leaf.

Sharpadjective

(chess) Tactical; risky.

Acuteadjective

Having nice discernment; perceiving or using minute distinctions; penetrating; clever; shrewd; - opposed to dull or stupid; as, an acute observer; acute remarks, or reasoning.

Sharpadjective

Piercing; keen; severe; painful.

‘a sharp pain; the sharp and frosty winter air’;

Acuteadjective

Having nice or quick sensibility; susceptible to slight impressions; acting keenly on the senses; sharp; keen; intense; as, a man of acute eyesight, hearing, or feeling; acute pain or pleasure.

Sharpadjective

Eager or keen in pursuit; impatient for gratification.

‘a sharp appetite’;

Acuteadjective

High, or shrill, in respect to some other sound; - opposed to grave or low; as, an acute tone or accent.

Sharpadjective

(obsolete) Fierce; ardent; fiery; violent; impetuous.

Acuteadjective

Attended with symptoms of some degree of severity, and coming speedily to a crisis; - opposed to chronic; as, an acute disease.

Sharpadjective

Composed of hard, angular grains; gritty.

Acuteverb

To give an acute sound to; as, he acutes his rising inflection too much.

Sharpadjective

Uttered in a whisper, or with the breath alone; aspirated; unvoiced.

Acutenoun

a mark (') placed above a vowel to indicate pronunciation

Sharpadverb

To a point or edge; piercingly; eagerly; sharply.

Acuteadjective

having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course;

‘acute appendicitis’; ‘the acute phase of the illness’; ‘acute patients’;

Sharpadverb

(notcomp) Exactly.

‘I'll see you at twelve o'clock sharp.’;

Acuteadjective

extremely sharp or intense;

‘acute pain’; ‘felt acute annoyance’; ‘intense itching and burning’;

Sharpadverb

(music) In a higher pitch than is correct or desirable.

‘I didn't enjoy the concert much because the tenor kept going sharp on the high notes.’;

Acuteadjective

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’;

Sharpnoun

(music) The symbol ♯, placed after the name of a note in the key signature or before a note on the staff to indicate that the note is to be played a semitone higher.

‘The pitch pipe sounded out a perfect F♯ (F sharp).’; ‘Transposition frequently is harder to read because of all the sharps and flats on the staff.’;

Acuteadjective

of an angle; less than 90 degrees

Sharpnoun

(music) A note that is played a semitone higher than usual; denoted by the name of the note that is followed by the symbol ♯.

Acuteadjective

ending in a sharp point

Sharpnoun

(music) A note that is sharp in a particular key.

‘The piece was difficult to read after it had been transposed, since in the new key many notes were sharps.’;

Acuteadjective

of critical importance and consequence;

‘an acute (or critical) lack of research funds’;

Sharpnoun

(music) The scale having a particular sharp note as its tonic.

‘Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" is written in C♯ minor (C sharp minor.)’;

Acuteadjective

(of an unpleasant or unwelcome situation or phenomenon) present or experienced to a severe or intense degree

‘an acute housing shortage’; ‘the problem is acute and getting worse’;

Sharpnoun

Something that is sharp.

‘Place sharps in the specially marked red container for safe disposal.’;

Acuteadjective

(of a disease or its symptoms) severe but of short duration

‘acute appendicitis’;

Sharpnoun

A sharp tool or weapon.

Acuteadjective

denoting or designed for patients with an acute form of a disease

‘an acute ward’; ‘acute patients’;

Sharpnoun

(medicine) A hypodermic syringe.

Acuteadjective

having or showing a perceptive understanding or insight; shrewd

‘an acute awareness of changing fashions’;

Sharpnoun

A scalpel or other edged instrument used in surgery.

Acuteadjective

(of a physical sense or faculty) highly developed; keen

‘an acute sense of smell’;

Sharpnoun

A dishonest person; a cheater.

‘The casino kept in the break room a set of pictures of known sharps for the bouncers to see.’; ‘This usage is often classified as variant spelling of shark, and unrelated to the 'pointed' or 'cutting' meanings of sharp.’;

Acuteadjective

(of an angle) less than 90°.

Sharpnoun

Part of a stream where the water runs very rapidly.

Acuteadjective

having a sharp end; pointed.

Sharpnoun

A sewing needle with a very slender point, more pointed than a blunt or a between.

Acuteadjective

(of a sound) high; shrill.

Sharpnoun

(in the plural) Fine particles of husk mixed with coarse particle of flour of cereals; middlings.

Acutenoun

short for acute accent

Sharpnoun

An expert.

Sharpnoun

A sharpie (member of Australian gangs of the 1960s and 1970s).

Sharpverb

(music) To raise the pitch of a note half a step making a natural note a sharp.

‘That new musician must be tone deaf: he sharped half the notes of the song!’;

Sharpverb

To play tricks in bargaining; to act the sharper.

Sharpverb

To sharpen.

Sharpadjective

Having a very thin edge or fine point; of a nature to cut or pierce easily; not blunt or dull; keen.

‘He dies upon my scimeter's sharp point.’;

Sharpadjective

Terminating in a point or edge; not obtuse or rounded; somewhat pointed or edged; peaked or ridged; as, a sharp hill; sharp features.

Sharpadjective

Affecting the sense as if pointed or cutting, keen, penetrating, acute: to the taste or smell, pungent, acid, sour, as ammonia has a sharp taste and odor; to the hearing, piercing, shrill, as a sharp sound or voice; to the eye, instantaneously brilliant, dazzling, as a sharp flash.

Sharpadjective

High in pitch; acute; as, a sharp note or tone.

Sharpadjective

Very trying to the feelings; piercing; keen; severe; painful; distressing; as, sharp pain, weather; a sharp and frosty air.

‘Sharp misery had worn him to the bones.’; ‘The morning sharp and clear.’; ‘In sharpest perils faithful proved.’;

Sharpadjective

Cutting in language or import; biting; sarcastic; cruel; harsh; rigorous; severe; as, a sharp rebuke.

‘To that place the sharp Athenian lawCan not pursue us.’; ‘Be thy words severe,Sharp as merits but the sword forbear.’;

Sharpadjective

Of keen perception; quick to discern or distinguish; having nice discrimination; acute; penetrating; sagacious; clever; as, a sharp eye; sharp sight, hearing, or judgment.

‘Nothing makes men sharper . . . than want.’; ‘Many other things belong to the material world, wherein the sharpest philosophers have never ye arrived at clear and distinct ideas.’;

Sharpadjective

Eager in pursuit; keen in quest; impatient for gratification; keen; as, a sharp appetite.

Sharpadjective

Fierce; ardent; fiery; violent; impetuous.

‘A sharp assault already is begun.’;

Sharpadjective

Keenly or unduly attentive to one's own interest; close and exact in dealing; shrewd; as, a sharp dealer; a sharp customer.

‘The necessity of being so sharp and exacting.’;

Sharpadjective

Composed of hard, angular grains; gritty; as, sharp sand.

Sharpadjective

Steep; precipitous; abrupt; as, a sharp ascent or descent; a sharp turn or curve.

Sharpadjective

Uttered in a whisper, or with the breath alone, without voice, as certain consonants, such as p, k, t, f; surd; nonvocal; aspirated.

Sharpadverb

To a point or edge; piercingly; eagerly; sharply.

‘The head [of a spear] full sharp yground.’; ‘You bite so sharp at reasons.’;

Sharpadverb

Precisely; exactly; as, we shall start at ten o'clock sharp.

Sharpnoun

A sharp tool or weapon.

‘If butchers had but the manners to go to sharps, gentlemen would be contented with a rubber at cuffs.’;

Sharpnoun

The character [$] used to indicate that the note before which it is placed is to be raised a half step, or semitone, in pitch.

Sharpnoun

A portion of a stream where the water runs very rapidly.

Sharpnoun

A sewing needle having a very slender point; a needle of the most pointed of the three grades, blunts, betweens, and sharps.

Sharpnoun

Same as Middlings, 1.

Sharpnoun

An expert.

Sharpverb

To sharpen.

Sharpverb

To raise above the proper pitch; to elevate the tone of; especially, to raise a half step, or semitone, above the natural tone.

Sharpverb

To play tricks in bargaining; to act the sharper.

Sharpverb

To sing above the proper pitch.

Sharpnoun

a musical notation indicating one half step higher than the note named

Sharpnoun

a long thin sewing needle with a sharp point

Sharpadjective

(of something seen or heard) clearly defined;

‘a sharp photographic image’; ‘the sharp crack of a twig’; ‘the crisp snap of dry leaves underfoot’;

Sharpadjective

ending in a sharp point

Sharpadjective

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’;

Sharpadjective

marked by practical hardheaded intelligence;

‘a smart businessman’; ‘an astute tenant always reads the small print in a lease’; ‘he was too shrewd to go along with them on a road that could lead only to their overthrow’;

Sharpadjective

harsh;

‘sharp criticism’; ‘a sharp-worded exchange’; ‘a tart remark’;

Sharpadjective

high-pitched and sharp;

‘piercing screams’; ‘a shrill whistle’;

Sharpadjective

extremely steep;

‘an abrupt canyon’; ‘the precipitous rapids of the upper river’; ‘the precipitous hills of Chinese paintings’; ‘a sharp drop’;

Sharpadjective

keenly and painfully felt; as if caused by a sharp edge or point;

‘a sharp pain’; ‘sharp winds’;

Sharpadjective

very penetrating and clear and sharp in operation;

‘an incisive mind’; ‘a keen intelligence’; ‘of sharp and active intellect’;

Sharpadjective

having or made by a thin edge or sharp point; suitable for cutting or piercing;

‘a sharp knife’; ‘a pencil with a sharp point’;

Sharpadjective

sour or bitter in taste

Sharpadjective

raised in pitch by one chromatic semitone;

‘C sharp’; ‘B natural’;

Sharpadjective

very sudden and in great amount or degree;

‘a sharp drop in the stock market’;

Sharpadjective

quick and forceful;

‘a sharp blow’;

Sharpadverb

changing suddenly in direction and degree;

‘the road twists sharply after the light’; ‘turn sharp left here’;