Acute vs. Sharp — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Acute and Sharp
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Acute
(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
Sharp
Having a thin edge or a fine point suitable for or capable of cutting or piercing.
Acute
Having or showing a perceptive understanding or insight; shrewd
An acute awareness of changing fashions
Sharp
Having clear form and detail
A sharp photographic image.
Acute
(of an angle) less than 90°.
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Sharp
Terminating in an edge or a point
Sharp angular cliffs.
A sharp nose.
Acute
(of a sound) high; shrill.
Sharp
Clearly and distinctly set forth
Sharp contrasts in behavior.
Acute
Short for acute accent
Sharp
Abrupt or acute
A sharp drop.
A sharp turn.
Acute
Reacting readily to stimuli or impressions; sensitive
His hearing was unusually acute.
Sharp
Intellectually penetrating; astute
Was sharp in his analysis of the problem.
Acute
Keenly perceptive or discerning
An acute critic of music.
A critic with acute judgment.
Sharp
Marked by keenness and accuracy of perception
Sharp hearing.
Acute
Extremely sharp or severe; intense
Acute pain.
Acute pleasure.
Sharp
Crafty or deceitful, as in business dealings
Sharp selling practices.
Acute
Of great importance or consequence; critical
An acute shortage of funds.
Sharp
Vigilant; alert
Kept a sharp lookout for shoplifters.
Acute
Having a rapid onset and following a short but severe course
An acute disease.
Sharp
Briskly or keenly cold and cutting
A sharp wind.
Acute
Afflicted by a disease exhibiting a rapid onset followed by a short, severe course
Acute patients.
Sharp
Harsh or biting in tone or character
Sharp criticism.
Acute
High in pitch; shrill
An acute scream.
Sharp
Fierce or impetuous; violent
A sharp temper.
A sharp assault.
Acute
Narrowly pointed; sharp
An acute leaf.
Sharp
Intense; severe
A sharp pain.
Acute
Having an acute angle
An acute triangle.
Sharp
Sudden and shrill
A sharp whistle.
Acute
Brief, quick, short.
It was an acute event.
Sharp
Sudden and brilliant or dazzling
A sharp flash of lightning.
Acute
High or shrill.
An acute accent or tone
Sharp
Strongly affecting the senses of smell and taste
A sharp pungent odor.
A sharp cheese.
Acute
Intense, sensitive, sharp.
She had an acute sense of honour
Eagles have very acute vision.
Sharp
Composed of hard angular particles
Sharp sand.
Acute
Urgent.
His need for medical attention was acute.
Sharp
Raised in pitch by a semitone.
Acute
(botany) With the sides meeting directly to form an acute angle (at an apex or base).
Sharp
Being above the proper pitch.
Acute
Less than 90 degrees.
The teacher pointed out the acute angle.
Sharp
Having the key signature in sharps.
Acute
Having all three interior angles measuring less than 90 degrees.
An acute triangle
Sharp
(Informal) Attractive or stylish
A sharp jacket.
Acute
Of an accent or tone: generally higher than others.
Sharp
In a sharp manner
Hit me sharp on the brow.
Acute
Sharp, produced in the front of the mouth. (See Grave and acute)
Sharp
Punctually; exactly
At three o'clock sharp.
Acute
(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.
Sharp
(Music) Above the true or proper pitch.
Acute
(medicine) Of a short-lived condition, in contrast to a chronic condition; this sense also does not imply severity.
The acute symptoms resolved promptly.
Sharp
A sign (♯) used to indicate that a note is to be raised by a semitone.
Acute
(orthography) After a letter of the alphabet: having an acute accent.
The last letter of ‘café’ is ‘e’ acute.
Sharp
A note that is raised a semitone.
Acute
(medicine) A person who has the acute form of a disorder, such as schizophrenia.
Sharp
A slender sewing needle with a very fine point.
Acute
An accent or tone higher than others.
Sharp
A hypodermic needle
A canister for disposing of used sharps.
Acute
(orthography) An acute accent (´).
The word ‘cafe’ often has an acute over the ‘e’.
Sharp
An expert.
Acute
To give an acute sound to.
He acutes his rising inflection too much.
Sharp
A shrewd cheater; a sharper.
Acute
To make acute; to sharpen, to whet.
Sharp
To raise in pitch by a semitone.
Acute
Sharp at the end; ending in a sharp point; pointed; - opposed to blunt or obtuse; as, an acute angle; an acute leaf.
Sharp
To play or sing above the proper pitch.
Acute
Having nice discernment; perceiving or using minute distinctions; penetrating; clever; shrewd; - opposed to dull or stupid; as, an acute observer; acute remarks, or reasoning.
Sharp
Terminating in a point or edge, especially one that can cut easily; not dull, obtuse, or rounded.
I keep my knives sharp so that they don't slip unexpectedly while carving.
Ernest made the pencil too sharp and accidentally stabbed himself with it.
A face with sharp features
Acute
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.
Sharp
(colloquial) Intelligent.
My nephew is a sharp lad; he can count to 100 in six languages, and he's only five years old.
Acute
High, or shrill, in respect to some other sound; - opposed to grave or low; as, an acute tone or accent.
Sharp
(music) Higher than usual by one semitone (denoted by the symbol ♯ after the name of the note).
Acute
Attended with symptoms of some degree of severity, and coming speedily to a crisis; - opposed to chronic; as, an acute disease.
Sharp
(music) Higher in pitch than required.
The orchestra's third violin several times was sharp about an eighth of a tone.
Acute
To give an acute sound to; as, he acutes his rising inflection too much.
Sharp
Having an intense, acrid flavour.
Milly couldn't stand sharp cheeses when she was pregnant, because they made her nauseated.
Acute
A mark (') placed above a vowel to indicate pronunciation
Sharp
Sudden and intense.
A pregnant woman during labor normally experiences a number of sharp contractions.
Acute
Having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course;
Acute appendicitis
The acute phase of the illness
Acute patients
Sharp
(colloquial) Illegal or dishonest.
Michael had a number of sharp ventures that he kept off the books.
Acute
Extremely sharp or intense;
Acute pain
Felt acute annoyance
Intense itching and burning
Sharp
(colloquial) Keenly or unduly attentive to one's own interests; shrewd.
A sharp dealer;
A sharp customer
Acute
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
Sharp
Exact, precise, accurate; keen.
You'll need sharp aim to make that shot.
Acute
Of an angle; less than 90 degrees
Sharp
Offensive, critical, or acrimonious.
Sharp criticism
When the two rivals met, first there were sharp words, and then a fight broke out.
Acute
Ending in a sharp point
Sharp
(colloquial) Stylish or attractive.
You look so sharp in that tuxedo!
Acute
Of critical importance and consequence;
An acute (or critical) lack of research funds
Sharp
Observant; alert; acute.
Keep a sharp watch on the prisoners. I don't want them to escape!
Sharp
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.
Sharp
Steep; precipitous; abrupt.
A sharp ascent or descent; a sharp turn or curve
Sharp
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.
Sharp
(chess) Tactical; risky.
Sharp
Piercing; keen; severe; painful.
A sharp pain; the sharp and frosty winter air
Sharp
Eager or keen in pursuit; impatient for gratification.
A sharp appetite
Sharp
(obsolete) Fierce; ardent; fiery; violent; impetuous.
Sharp
Composed of hard, angular grains; gritty.
Sharp
Uttered in a whisper, or with the breath alone; aspirated; unvoiced.
Sharp
(obsolete) Hungry.
Sharp
To a point or edge; piercingly; eagerly; sharply.
Sharp
(notcomp) Exactly.
I'll see you at twelve o'clock sharp.
Sharp
(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.
Sharp
(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.
Sharp
(music) A note that is played a semitone higher than usual; denoted by the name of the note that is followed by the symbol ♯.
Sharp
(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.
Sharp
(music) The scale having a particular sharp note as its tonic.
Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" is written in C♯ minor (C sharp minor.)
Sharp
Something that is sharp.
Place sharps in the specially marked red container for safe disposal.
Sharp
(medicine) A hypodermic syringe.
Sharp
A scalpel or other edged instrument used in surgery.
Sharp
A sharp tool or weapon.
Sharp
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.
Sharp
Part of a stream where the water runs very rapidly.
Sharp
A sewing needle with a very slender point, more pointed than a blunt or a between.
Sharp
(in the plural) Fine particles of husk mixed with coarse particle of flour of cereals; middlings.
Sharp
An expert.
Sharp
A sharpie member of Australian gangs of the 1960s and 1970s.
Sharp
(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!
Sharp
To play tricks in bargaining; to act the sharper.
Sharp
To sharpen.
Sharp
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.
Sharp
Terminating in a point or edge; not obtuse or rounded; somewhat pointed or edged; peaked or ridged; as, a sharp hill; sharp features.
Sharp
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.
Sharp
High in pitch; acute; as, a sharp note or tone.
Sharp
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.
Sharp
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.
Sharp
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.
Sharp
Eager in pursuit; keen in quest; impatient for gratification; keen; as, a sharp appetite.
Sharp
Fierce; ardent; fiery; violent; impetuous.
A sharp assault already is begun.
Sharp
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.
Sharp
Composed of hard, angular grains; gritty; as, sharp sand.
Sharp
Steep; precipitous; abrupt; as, a sharp ascent or descent; a sharp turn or curve.
Sharp
Uttered in a whisper, or with the breath alone, without voice, as certain consonants, such as p, k, t, f; surd; nonvocal; aspirated.
Sharp
To a point or edge; piercingly; eagerly; sharply.
The head [of a spear] full sharp yground.
You bite so sharp at reasons.
Sharp
Precisely; exactly; as, we shall start at ten o'clock sharp.
Sharp
A sharp tool or weapon.
If butchers had but the manners to go to sharps, gentlemen would be contented with a rubber at cuffs.
Sharp
The character [$] used to indicate that the note before which it is placed is to be raised a half step, or semitone, in pitch.
Sharp
A portion of a stream where the water runs very rapidly.
Sharp
A sewing needle having a very slender point; a needle of the most pointed of the three grades, blunts, betweens, and sharps.
Sharp
Same as Middlings, 1.
Sharp
An expert.
Sharp
To sharpen.
Sharp
To raise above the proper pitch; to elevate the tone of; especially, to raise a half step, or semitone, above the natural tone.
Sharp
To play tricks in bargaining; to act the sharper.
Sharp
To sing above the proper pitch.
Sharp
A musical notation indicating one half step higher than the note named
Sharp
A long thin sewing needle with a sharp point
Sharp
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined;
A sharp photographic image
The sharp crack of a twig
The crisp snap of dry leaves underfoot
Sharp
Ending in a sharp point
Sharp
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
Sharp
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
Sharp
Harsh;
Sharp criticism
A sharp-worded exchange
A tart remark
Sharp
High-pitched and sharp;
Piercing screams
A shrill whistle
Sharp
Extremely steep;
An abrupt canyon
The precipitous rapids of the upper river
The precipitous hills of Chinese paintings
A sharp drop
Sharp
Keenly and painfully felt; as if caused by a sharp edge or point;
A sharp pain
Sharp winds
Sharp
Very penetrating and clear and sharp in operation;
An incisive mind
A keen intelligence
Of sharp and active intellect
Sharp
Having or made by a thin edge or sharp point; suitable for cutting or piercing;
A sharp knife
A pencil with a sharp point
Sharp
Sour or bitter in taste
Sharp
Raised in pitch by one chromatic semitone;
C sharp
B natural
Sharp
Very sudden and in great amount or degree;
A sharp drop in the stock market
Sharp
Quick and forceful;
A sharp blow
Sharp
Changing suddenly in direction and degree;
The road twists sharply after the light
Turn sharp left here
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