acute

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Pronunciation

/əˈkjuːt/(uh-KYOOT)

Part of speech

adjectiveneutral/formal

Chinese

严重的；敏锐的；急性的（非常严重或紧迫；或（感知）敏锐；或（医疗）急性的）

Definition

(of a problem) Serious or severe; (of a sense or quality) sharp or precise; (medical) coming on quickly and severely.

Word family

  • acutely/əˈkjuːtli/(adv)严重地；深切地
  • acuteness/əˈkjuːtnəs/(n)严重性；敏锐性

Collocations

  • acute shortage
  • acutely aware
  • acute pain
  • acute crisis
  • acute observation
  • an acute angle
  • acute phase

Examples

  1. 1.The region is facing an acute shortage of affordable housing, with families waiting years for social accommodation.
  2. 2.She was acutely aware that her decision would affect hundreds of people's livelihoods.

Synonyms

  • severe/sɪˈvɪə/— very serious or extreme
  • intense/ɪnˈtɛns/— of extreme strength or degree
  • sharp/ʃɑːp/— sudden and strong; also: precise in perception

Etymology

from Latin "acutus" = sharpened, past participle of "acuere" (to sharpen), from "acus" (needle)