It first entered the English language with a medical sense, referring to the sharpness or severity of a symptom. It retains this meaning today, but can also refer to the severity of more general matters, such as "acute embarrassment" or "an acute shortage." ACUTE definition: sharp or severe in effect; intense. See examples of acute used in a sentence.

Understanding the Context

1. sharp or severe in effect; intense: acute pain. 2. extremely great or serious: an acute shortage of oil.

Key Insights

3. (of disease) brief and severe (disting. from chronic). 4. penetrating in intellect, insight, or perception.

Final Thoughts

5. sensitive even to slight details or impressions: acute eyesight. ACUTE definition: 1. If a bad situation is acute, it causes severe problems or damage: 2. An acute pain or illness…. Learn more.

Definition of acute adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. In order to be an acute triangle, all three angles of a triangle must be less than 90°. These triangles can have very prickly personalities.