For such a short and simple-looking word, acute has a rather bewildering range of meanings. It first entered the English language with a medical sense, referring to the sharpness or severity of a symptom.

ACUTE definition: sharp or severe in effect; intense. See examples of acute used in a sentence.

ACUTE definition: 1. If a bad situation is acute, it causes severe problems or damage: 2. An acute pain or illness…. Learn more.

1. sharp or severe in effect; intense: acute pain. 2. extremely great or serious: an acute shortage of oil. 3. (of disease) brief and severe (disting. from chronic). 4. penetrating in intellect, insight, or …

Definition of acute adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. very serious or severe. There is an acute shortage of water. Competition for jobs is acute. The scandal was an acute …

Dec 26, 2025 · 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.

An acute illness is one that becomes severe very quickly but does not last very long. Compare chronic.

Oct 17, 2024 · Acute means sudden. Acute symptoms appear, change, or worsen rapidly. It is the opposite of chronic.

acute, adj. & n. meanings, etymology, pronunciation and more in the Oxford English Dictionary

Use the adjective acute for when you want to describe something as sharp or extremely serious. The word acute is one word; it's not two words, nor does it have anything to do with something small, …