acute
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.used to describe a problem or feeling that is very strong or serious.
adj.denoting a physical or emotional state characterized by extreme intensity or severity.
Simple“The patient felt an acute pain in her chest and called for help.”
In context“The region is currently facing an acute shortage of clean water following the failure of the primary desalination plant.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
adj.describing a mind or sense that is very quick to notice small details.
adj.characterized by sharpness of intellect or perception; showing an ability to understand complex situations quickly.
Simple“Dogs have an acute sense of smell that helps them find hidden items.”
In context“Her acute observations regarding the company's fiscal vulnerabilities allowed the board to intervene before the market crashed.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
adj.describing an illness that starts suddenly and lasts for a short time.
adj.referring to a condition with a rapid onset and a short course, as opposed to a chronic condition.
Simple“He was admitted to the hospital with acute appendicitis.”
In context“Distinguishing between acute and chronic symptoms is essential for determining the appropriate course of emergency treatment.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.describing an angle that is less than 90 degrees.
adj.denoting an angle of less than 90 degrees or a triangle with all internal angles measuring less than 90 degrees.
Simple“The roof was built at an acute angle to help the snow slide off.”
In context“The architect utilized acute angles in the building's facade to create a sense of dynamic movement and modernism.”
- 05 C2 Proficiency
n.the small mark (´) placed over a letter to show how it is pronounced.
n.a diacritical mark used in various languages to indicate vowel quality, length, or pitch.
Simple“The word 'café' is written with an acute on the final letter.”
In context“In French orthography, the acute appears exclusively over the letter 'e' to indicate a specific close-mid vowel sound.”
Usage particularly acute
“The more we learn about the universe, the more acute the Fermi paradox becomes.”
“For young people, the situation is at its most acute: only one in four believe that everyone in society has a fair crack .”
From Late Middle English acute (“of a disease or fever: starting suddenly and lasting for a short time; of a humour: irritating, sharp”), from Latin acūta, from acūtus (“sharp, sharpened”), perfect passive participle of acuō (“to make pointed, sharpen, whet”), from acus (“needle, pin”). The word is cognate to ague (“acute, intermittent fever”). As regards the noun, which is derived from the verb, compare Middle English acūte (“severe but short-lived fever; of blood: corrosiveness, sharpness; musical note of high pitch”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.